MACC Farm Program

The Middlecreek Area Community Center and Sweet Meriam's Farm have teamed up with Snyder County Cooperative Extension and Snyder County 4-H to offer children an opportunity to learn how to work together as a team, identify their own strengths, make constructive decisions, and develop positive leadership and social interaction skills.

During the school year, the MACC’s Linkages program (which began in Fall 2004) focuses on building academic and social skills to improve the participating children’s success within the public school system. During the spring and summer months, the program is based on Sweet Meriam’s Farm, where the children who have participated in the MACC’s Linkages program, in addition to other local children, learn how to run their own organic vegetable operation on Sweet Meriam’s Farm. The program began in Spring 2005 and is open to all children who are interested in a fun, hands-on experience. The program is free to those who cannot afford the program fee. It is a great opportunity for children from a diversity of backgrounds to learn and grow together in a positive, team-based environment.

While learning how to nurture healthy plants, they learn how to nurture their own health. Penn State Cooperative Extension runs the nutritional component of the farm program, called the ‘Family Fitness program.’ Participating children learn how to prepare the vegetables they have grown, make healthier food choices at home and school, and increase their physical activity. Their families are provided practical guidance on how to support their children in making healthier diet and lifestyle choices, through parent meetings, recipes, and information sheets. The MACC hosts a summer feeding program for summer camp and farm program participants, so the children receive healthy breakfasts and lunches throughout the program.

The third component of the program is the 4-H ‘Acres of Adventures’ program.  4-H runs fun, physical activities and games. Through 4-H, participating children fish out of the pond on the farm, which is abundant with blue-gills, bass, crappie, and catfish. They learn about the importance of protecting our streams, rivers, and water ways to support our own health and the health of fish and other water life. After catching a fish and studying its anatomy in an aquarium, the participating children safely release the fish back into the pond waters.

At the end of the season, the children celebrate their time together on the farm through an over-night camping trip!

Sponsorships help to cover the expenses of running the MACC Farm Program including children’s gardening supplies, educational materials, and extra fruits and vegetables for the farm stand. SPONSORSHIPS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE IF CHECKS ARE MADE OUT TO THE "MACC"

For further information on registering for the program or becoming a sponsor, contact Kristen Markley on Sweet Meriam’s Farm at 570-658-8512 or sweetmfarm@aol.com.