PRI Health Corps

PRI Health Corps Update: This program is one of many defunded by AmeriCorps. 

Click for more information.

Pamlico Rose Institute for Sustainable Communities (PRI) was awarded a Public Health Corps grant in 2022 to expand our efforts to the community through building gardens, providing classes, and supplying various organizations with fresh food to help counter food insecurity. We prioritize healthy living through a lens focused on wellness, and how nature can provide more to your health than people now. The PRI Health Corps Team has since built and continues to maintain four community gardens in Eastern NC, including for the Beaufort County Community College and the Town of Aurora. The gardens not only feed and nourish these communities but also provide an opportunity for both our PRI Team and the members of the public to learn about nutrition and gardening. Beyond public gardens you could also find our team at local veterans’ houses, helping maintain their yard and providing beds for growing produce. As the end of our third year with AmeriCorps approaches we are seeking new prospective team members to join our mission! Members will receive a living allowance and health care. If eligible, child care and after completing their year of service, an educational scholarship award.

Those interested in PRI Health Corps can contact Robert Greene Sands, Executive Director of Pamlico Rose Institute at shannon@pamlicorose.org or can apply online through the AmeriCorps portal at:

https://serviceyear.org/ or at: https://my.americorps.gov/

 Host Sites

Accomplishments thus far:

  • Rose Haven Center of Healing:
    • Improvement of walkways and bridges for better accessibility; including adding railing, a ramp, and benches
    • Path added to back of garden as well as smaller council ring
    • Created a crushed-stone labyrinth with an arbor in the center for peaceful walking and inspiration
    • Growing produce in the ground as well as raised beds and various greenhouses
    • Fully renovated barn which became a makerspace; an area for hosting events, woodworking, stained glass, pottery, storage, and more
  • BCCC:
    • Construction of a quarter of an acre garden that grows an array of produce year-round and provides wellness and retreat; produce provided to students and faculty 
    • Creation of an online/hybrid gardening to wellness course
  • Chocowinity Primary School:
    • A private garden for their students
    • Classes for their students about gardening, nutrition, and hands-on experience in the garden
    • Read and Feed summer program delivering books and produce to local students and families
  • Aurora Garden:
    • A massive garden featuring 32 full-sized above ground beds growing a wide variety of produce
    • A large cement learning pad with a free-standing veranda in the middle of the garden to provide a space for gathering and teaching classes
    • Classes for the accompanying Snowden School students
    • Hosting events for the Aurora public; providing produce for anyone who needs it
  • PRIHC Program-wide:
    • Wrote, designed, and published a book focused on herbs and the wellness within them, titled “On Herbs: a Sprig of Knowledge on the Transformative Plants”
    • Nearly finished with 2nd book, focused on bugs, titled “The Bug Book: the Tiny Heroes of the Garden”

We are so proud of what our team has achieved in just under 3 years and we cannot wait to support the community further and continue to provide nutrition, education, and wellness. The sky’s the limit, and with our roots in the ground we can grow as tall as we need to get our mission accomplished!

Public Health AmeriCorps Meet Susan

Public Health AmeriCorps: Meet Sean

Position Listing - Public Health Corps Member

Assist PRI staff in designing, building and sustaining four community gardens across Washington and Aurora, NC. Depending on the season, garden activities will vary and include construction, preparation, planting, maintenance and harvesting, as well as online duties focused on outreach and education. In addition, daily duties include bed preparation, planting, weeding, mulching, watering, pruning and general garden cleanup. There are also opportunities for specific training, such as becoming CPR certified, to become a Community Health Worker, or earning a teaching certificate. Working with PRI nutritional experts, Health Corps members will implement an integrated healthy eating nutrition program for participants at the four sites, tailored to their specific needs. PRI Health Corps members will help further develop and be actively involved in our PRI Health Corps social media platforms (webpage, Facebook, Instagram) to advance principles and tenets of wellness and healthy eating!

Program Benefits

Professional training in support of public health career opportunities, education award upon successful completion of service, living allowance, and childcare assistance. If eligible, Health Care Coverage, physical and recreational activity.

About AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as longterm, short-term, or onetime volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov 

Scroll to Top