After graduating from Wesley College in 2016, Jessica Wescott, an alumna from the Beta Nu chapter, found herself looking for ways to provide for herself and others, thus Planting to Feed was born.
“I was broke after college and I needed to supplement my grocery bill so I started to grow food on my own,” said Jessica. “But then I started to think, ‘OK, I can’t be the only person who has a job but can’t afford food.’ So a small group of people from my church and I began growing food for my local community and it took off from there.”
Planting to Feed is a non-profit organization that is on a mission to provide quality food to those who are hungry or may be suffering from homelessness. The organization offers various foods including fruits, vegetables, bread products, proteins, non perishables and more.
The group initially hosted monthly free meals to the public but with COVID-19 restrictions, Jessica and her team were forced to think outside the box to find ways they could continue to help those in need. They decided to do drive-through resource fairs throughout last year offering not only food but narcan education and kits, COVID cleaning kits, mental health support, flu shots, and menstrual cycle supplies as well. In December, Planting to Feed became the first organization to offer a community fridge in the state of Delaware. The community fridge is always stocked and is available to anyone who is in need of food. As of right now there is only one community fridge, as well as two gardens, but Jessica and her team are working hard to have at least two more by mid 2021.
For Jessica, service became a passion once joining DPhiE. She shared that she learned how to do service in a structured way through her chapter. Jessica also noted her love and appreciation for her DPhiE sisterhood, “I count on my sisterhood, I tap into them whenever I need to, and they do the same. I really feel like we have a strong support system of sisters here in Delaware, I’m really not sure where I would be without my sisters.”
Donations to contribute to Planting to Feed can be made at https://www.plantingtofeed.org/donate. Jessica also encourages those who want to donate their time, talents, and resources to contact her at contact@plantingtofeed.com.