LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — When students and faculty are finished, there will be 40 fruit trees planted in a green space on Lock Haven University's campus.
"This is the dorms, so students are able to come out here at Fairview Suites, enjoy the new trees we planted, and have some snacks while they're doing homework out here or whatnot," Professor Heather Bechtold said.
The trees are being planted to help with food insecurity, a big issue on college campuses.
After the fruit is ready, it will be picked and taken to the Haven Cupboard, the university's food pantry.
"We're going to have different varieties of apples, peaches, cherries, and plums," Bechtold said.
The Campus Orchard Project is in collaboration with other Pennsylvania state schools and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation.
Students we spoke with were happy to help.
"Fruit is so expensive for me, and it goes bad so quickly. To be buying for just one person is difficult. To have this resource to come and pick what you need for the day, I think that will be extremely helpful," Madison Griffin said.
"I just understand the value of having fresh fruit for everyone, for those who live on campus, and if someone who lives off-campus wants to come and snag some fruit for a snack, I could also see that as a huge benefit," Abigail Sechrist said.
Officials with the project expect the first fruits to be ready sometime next year.
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