Wheaton News

Mieke Buterbaugh ’27 serves those in need through Veggies to Table internship

Inspired last year as a summer volunteer, Mieke Buterbaugh ’27 returned to help an organic Maine farm broaden its impact through a summer internship.

Located in Newcastle, Maine, Veggies to Table donates its vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers to feed and spread joy to those in need. Buterbaugh is developing a community needs assessment for the organization to explore educational programming options that complement its access to food.

“I wanted to do some research and to help fulfill their mission,” she said, and reached out to the farm’s director with her idea. Struggling with food insecurity issues, one out of seven Maine residents does not have enough to eat each day and 43% of the state’s students rely on school-provided lunches daily. Veggies to Table has grown and donated more than 77,000 pounds of produce and 95,000 flowers in six seasons to help those in need.

The organization uses numerous volunteers and partners with a network of over 35 pantries, schools, summer lunch programs and hospitals.

For her project, Buterbaugh is identifying how educational resources—related to food, farming and nutrition—can further empower the communities served by Veggies to Table.

“Rather than reviewing existing offerings, I’m gathering input through interviews with pantry partners and surveys for volunteers to learn directly from those most involved,” she explained, aiming to discover what skills (e.g., storing, cooking or preserving fresh produce) would be most useful, what delivery formats (like workshops, printed guides or videos) feel most accessible and what barriers exist to participation.

“Our goal is to develop new, community-informed educational strategies that are culturally relevant, accessible and rooted in dignity and partnership.”

After studying in Switzerland during her first semester at Wheaton through the college’s WheaGo Global program, Buterbaugh spent a semester in Bhutan as a sophomore. She also took a course at Brown University, played on the women’s lacrosse team and created her own major in sustainable design and development.

“Establishing my major was prompted by all the experiences I’ve had,” she said, pointing out how it integrates design courses with economics and environmental science courses. “I resonate with community-based design, and I’m interested in the environment, sustainability, the media and research.”

Fueled by parents who have renovated several houses with her alongside, Buterbaugh enjoys that type of work, as well. The combination of interests led her to a unique major.

“I’m interested in this internship project because it’s directly related to the content of my major,” Buterbaugh explained. “It has provided a meaningful opportunity to apply stakeholder research, systems thinking, and public health framing to help Veggies to Table expand its impact beyond the growing season.”

Buterbaugh thinks that the organization’s approach provides an example for others to follow.

“I believe that the way that Veggies to Table is doing things can serve as a blueprint for others who are interested in growing as an equitable, sustainable, directly beneficial, low-tech, intensive kind of organization, because those are the ones that are making tangible change.”