History and political science professor Greg Sember, distributed fresh peaches for free last Wednesday afternoon in the lobby area of the Campus Center building.

“I’m just giving away peaches,” he said to people who walked by the table where he stood behind a crate of fruit, which he dubbed the “Poli Sci Peach Patch.”

Sember attended a department meeting where he learned that students don’t perform as well in class when they’re hungry. “Just trying to do my part,” he said of the peach distribution. This is the first year he has given out produce.

Sember was enthusiastic as he tried to convince people to accept peaches. “You took my class–don’t walk away!” he shouted after one student who walked by. “It came from an orchard. It got picked off a tree,” he said to another student who was reluctant to take a peach. Sember also posed with and took photos of people who accepted peaches.

Sember gave out peaches on the first day of classes as well; Wednesday marked the second peach distribution. He works at a farmer’s market on the weekend, which gives him access to produce.

The peaches were from Lewis Orchard, located in Dickerson, Md. Sember estimated that he had given out 100 peaches with the help of two of his former students, Hope D’Ovidio and Kinsey Gibb, who he recruited to help distribute the peaches.

Sember said he plans to continue distributing seasonal produce during the semester; he said he is considering bringing apples in the future since they will be in season soon. He also said he may extend his produce distribution to the Germantown campus via the political science department there.