Students who participated in last summer’s FORGE Girls Construction Camp recently celebrated the completion of a meaningful community project with the installation of four food pantries across Columbus.
During the week-long camp, middle school girls worked alongside skilled trade partners and industry mentors to design and build the wooden pantry boxes. The project provided campers with hands-on construction experience while also teaching the importance of community service and giving back.
Earlier this month, several of the campers returned to complete the project by installing the final touches – adding stickers to the creatively painted pantry boxes and stocking them with food items for neighbors in need.
“These young women not only learned valuable construction skills, but they also experienced the power of using those skills to serve their community,” said Melinda Lowe, executive director of FORGE. “It was incredibly meaningful to see them come back together to finish what they started and ensure these pantries are ready to support families across our area.”
The installation of the food pantries coincided with Women in Construction Week, making it a fitting way to highlight the impact that young women can have in the skilled trades and in their communities.
The FORGE Girls Construction Camp is designed to introduce young women to careers in construction and the skilled trades while building confidence, teamwork and leadership skills.
Women remain underrepresented in the construction industry, and initiatives like BuildHER Camp aim to raise awareness and inspire young women to consider careers in the trades.
Applications for this summer’s FORGE BuildHER Camp will open in the coming weeks for middle school girls interested in exploring construction careers. The upcoming camp will mark the third annual camp hosted in the Golden Triangle Region, while the FORGE Northeast Mississippi Chapter will host its first BuildHER Camp this summer, expanding opportunities for young women across the region.
Community members are also encouraged to help keep the newly installed food pantries stocked, so they can continue serving families throughout the year.
FORGE is dedicated to promoting skilled trades and career readiness by connecting students with hands-on learning experiences and career pathways that build a stronger workforce for the future.
For more information about FORGE programs and initiatives, visit www.forgeyourpath.org.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
