Green thumbs will leave their fingerprints on Oakland University March 27, when the Oakland Center will temporarily be made into a hoop house.

Student Organic Farmers, a student organization that supports organic food production in the community, is hosting an interactive organic farming experience in the Oakland Center to show students how to transplant seedlings. These seeds will then be grown and harvested by SOF during the upcoming growing season.

“When I first started (at SOF), the idea of organic farming was kind of daunting to me,” Danielle Bockart, a senior biology major, said. “We want to make sure people see that, by planting a seed, you can help grow the garden on campus, that it’s not this out-of-reach thing.”

Bockhart said she hopes the event will give students experience in organic farming and spread awareness about healthy living. She said her goal is for SOF’s organic farm to not only provides food for the OU community, but to become a community-gathering place as well.

“It’s more than a social organization, it’s also a lifestyle,” Dr. Fay Hansen, biological sciences professor and SOF’s faculty advisor, said.

For this reason, the group also hopes its event will provide publicity for the organization and engage students in organic farming this summer.

“Having an event or two before students go (home) for break is essential to catch their interest and get them to visit the farm and think about staying around campus to help, learn and eat a lot of fresh food over the summer,” Jared Bodanov-Hanna, an OU alumnus and SOF farm manager, said.

Hansen is confident about the upcoming summer.

“I think we are going to have a lot of fun this summer. There is definitely going to be a lot of interest,” Hansen said.