On April 9, former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Ron Jaworski, donated $5,000 to Rowan’s West Campus Farm in an effort to keep the farm producing essential food for students in need.

For the last eight years, Rowan University’s President, Dr. Ali A. Houshmand, has been working on Houshmand’s Hazardous Hot Sauce, where all the proceeds go to help the student emergency fund. These emergency funds help students who are in need and have no access to money. All the sales from the hot sauce go to the student emergency fund. 

As the years went on after the hot sauce’s creation, the garden started to grow bigger and bigger. About four years ago, the garden was big enough to give away fruits and vegetables at the University. The vegetables went through The Shop at the University first, and then they were given away to other local pantries in Glassboro.

“Food is critical to a student’s education. That’s why we have our own food pantry, The Shop. So many students come in there. Hundreds of students depend on The Shop to subsidize what they already pay for food. But then it doesn’t cut it, so perhaps they can’t afford a larger food plan. The first thing a student cuts when they are looking at schools is food. They think they can get away with one meal a day, or they’ll just eat a small meal in the morning and something at night. So this is critical. If you are not eating, you are not studying or not able to focus,” said Joe Cardona, Vice President for University Relations at Rowan University.

In a time where food insecurity affects a large number of students, not limited just to Rowan University, Jaworski’s donation supports the West Campus Farm and helps to keep produce fresh and growing. The farm gives back to the community and provides ways to help people in need. The $5,000 helps the farm to grow more food and allows it to help more people who can’t afford daily meals.

“With Ron Jaworski, he heard about this and wanted to donate to help out. Because, when you grow produce, there’s cost involved. There’s machinery and different stuff you have to buy. So, he heard about it and knew it was helping out students and helping out people in need, and decided from his family foundation to donate $5,000,” said Cardona. 

The West Campus Farm gives back to the community and grants students access to free vegetables and food. There is a professional farmer who oversees the farm, but Rowan students are the ones who plant, harvest, and take the goods to the pantries. 

“We have a good system where during the growing season, we are producing. And obviously through the sales of the hot sauce, we freeze the peppers and make more hot sauce and sell it, and 100% of those proceeds go toward the student emergency fund. So, the $5,000 multiplies itself rather than giving it out to individual students. It is multiplied by the number of people that can be helped,” said Cardona. “It is heartwarming to receive a gift for somebody to notice it without being asked. Because as a university, we ask for a lot of donations. So, for Ron Jaworski to notice it himself and say, ‘Hey, I want to be a part of that,’ it’s wonderful,” said Cardona.

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