Lucy Wells-Davies ’29 (center) with other students during the Community Exploration and Engagement tour of the Northside neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Wofford News Services.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is from Wofford News Services and can be found on their website here.
Lucy Wells-Davies ’29 knows the power a community connection can have on a new Wofford student.
As a first-year Terrier during an Orientation tour of the Northside, she connected with PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well., a Spartanburg nonprofit that runs the Hub City Farmer’s Market and advocates for active living and healthy eating. She began volunteering with PAL her first semester through the Bonner Scholar program and has continued to serve the organization.
That link was key to making Wells-Davies, an environmental studies major from Portland, Maine, feel grounded in her new home.
“I was overwhelmed in the beginning,” she says. “It took me a while to get to a point where I felt like I was a part of this larger community and could go explore. Once I got involved with PAL, it felt like I had a second tie outside of campus, and I felt even more supported and engaged.”
Wells-Davies helped to extend that Spartanburg welcome she received to the Class of 2030 during Orientation this year by organizing a visit to the Hub City Farmer’s Market on Aug. 29. As a result, hundreds of first-year students passed through Northside Harvest Park, and by the time the farmer’s market closed that Saturday, PAL had recorded one of its highest customer counts in the history of the market with about 1,500 people.
“It was a crazy day, but it was so rewarding,” Wells-Davies says. “There are so many experiences and connections with community partners that are made possible by the farmer’s market. People are missing out by not going, so I wanted to bring them there.”
Wells-Davies is accustomed to introducing new generations to the Hub City Farmer’s Market as the market’s youth engagement coordinator. She works with local children to help them learn where their food comes from and to develop positive associations with fresh, local food through activities, yard games and incentive programs.
“We did a lemonade-themed day this summer during which kids used construction paper to make their own lemonade cup art pieces, and I made them fresh-squeezed lemonade with maple syrup to promote natural sweeteners. We often plant herbs in mini pots that the kids decorate or paint, and they get to bring their creations home to use afterwards,” Well-Davies says. “We want the farmer’s market to be a family-friendly environment, and that includes the kids.”
Jenni Callahan, food systems manager at PAL, says Wells-Davies has brought a fresh energy to children’s programming at the farmer’s market.
“She has a strong ability to take an idea and turn it into something meaningful for kids at the market. The kids love her, and I wouldn't be surprised if her interaction with them is a big reason why families show up week after week,” Callahan says.
Ensuring people of all ages can access local food is something Wells-Davies intends to continue pursuing at Wofford and beyond. It’s a topic she was introduced to early in her life; her parents both worked in restaurants, and she worked in restaurants during high school.
“The restaurants weren't big chains, and they prioritized sourcing local ingredients and making food accessible for people in the Portland area. That stuck with me,” Wells-Davies says. “I want to go into a field that contributes to keeping healthy food accessible for others, especially people who maybe were in my position when I was younger and didn't have as much money.”
