JSU students bag, distribute 20,000 pounds of free sweet potatoes to community

Jackson State University hosted its second annual Crop Drop by partnering with The Society of St. Andrew to provide 20,000 pounds of free sweet potatoes to the community on Saturday, April 8.

The event, sponsored by the Center for University-based Development and the Alice Varnado Harden Center for Service and Engaged Learning, started at 9 a.m. and by noon all potatoes were gone. JSU student volunteers hoisted and placed sacks of the produce into a long line of vehicles that had formed throughout the morning in the parking lot adjacent to Jackson Public Schools’ Blackburn Laboratory Middle School near the JSU campus.

The potatoes were donated by a Mississippi farmer to the nonprofit charitable organization St. Andrew. Its mission is to help feed America’s hungry. The generosity of the farmer qualifies for a tax write-off.

Dozens of JSU students worked diligently and laboriously as they packed 10-pound bags for patrons.

Although Jackson State University freshman Marqus Brooks earned community-service hours for his participation in the annual Crop Drop, he said he was especially pleased to be part of a worthwhile cause. The event, in collaboration with the Society of St. Andrew, was sponsored by the Center for University-based Development and the Alice Varnado Harden Center for Service and Engaged Learning (Photo by Charles A. Smith/JSU)
Although Jackson State University freshman Markus Brooks earned community-service hours for his participation in the annual Crop Drop, he said he was especially pleased to be part of a worthwhile cause – providing free sweet potatoes to the community. The event, in collaboration with the Society of St. Andrew, was sponsored by the Center for University-based Development and the Alice Varnado Harden Center for Service and Engaged Learning (Photo by Charles A. Smith/JSU)