Our Mission

The Grantham Community Garden is an effort inspired and lead by students to demonstrate and promote real-life concepts of sustainable agriculture, which we believe is a key piece to true Christian stewardship. The garden initiative is a means to educate students, faculty, and the broader community about the environmental, social, nutritional, and spiritual benefits of sustainable farming.

What do we do?

Before the end of the spring semester, the Sustainability office hires a team of students who are eager to learn and work hard over the summer in managing the community garden. The garden team helps to plan and plant the garden, with their success measured by the fruits of their labor and the quality of their produce. It is an amazing opportunity for students to learn about creation care, stewardship and sustainable agriculture. In addition to the garden, the students also learn to care for the several apiaries (beehives) on campus, to harvest honey, and to make products from beeswax. Alongside the bees, Messiah University houses a chicken coop that is home to 24 French Novagen hens from whom we harvest eggs daily.

Besides just growing produce, we aim to connect with our campus and local community through our farm stands. Once a month we participate in the Dillsburg Farmers Market, which has been a blessed way in engaging with our neighbors in the area. Not only do we get to represent Messiah University, but at the same time we learn about new farming practices, trends, and news. On campus, we are grateful for the opportunity to give back to the Messiah community both in our produce as well as in educating and promoting sustainable and responsible agriculture awareness. We love hearing from our friends and teachers about the taste and quality of our products.

Get in touch!

If you'd like to reach us, you can find our email link below.

Contact us