Dr. Enrico Pelicci started farming when he missed his father.
His late father, who also was a physician, instilled a curiosity for the world and a love for science in him.
After his father passed away in 2014, Pelicci scattered seeds in his honor in the backyard of his family’s Waverly Twp. home, waiting to see what happened. He ended up with more than 100 corn plants and a love for farming that grows every year alongside his various crops.
Now, the 29 year old is a second-year resident physician for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, and he’s still farming.
Pelicci addresses local food insecurity, bringing people struggling with the issue access to nutritious foods by donating produce from his garden each summer.
In Pennsylvania, the food insecurity rate is 11.9 %, bringing the food insecure population to more than 1.5 million Pennsylvanians, according to the 2024 Map the Meal Gap report from Feeding America. Feeding Pennsylvania found that one in eight Pennsylvanians face hunger, and one in six children in Pennsylvania face hunger.
“I'm preaching to patients, you should have fruits and vegetables [and] fiber in your diet,” Dr. Enrico Pelicci said. “It's one thing to say something, but another thing to do it. So providing that is putting my words to a plan and an action.”
His robust garden became a way to give back to the community, allowing him to donate hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to Friends of the Poor, a Scranton- based nonprofit organization that helps those living in poverty.
Providing communities in need with fresh, locally grown produce is an extension of his work as a doctor.
“Being able to help the local community, to care for them medically, and then to provide them food is truly an incredible feeling,” Pelicci said.
Since 2015, Pelicci has donated more than 1,000 pounds of produce, and more than 100 just this summer, with a target goal of 200 pounds of produce each summer.
Meghan Loftus, Friends of the Poor president and CEO, explained that it’s difficult to have a diverse selection of food for the 250 plus families the organization serves everyday. However, the work of people like Pelicci helps the organization to give the community a variety of food options and access to fresh, locally grown produce.
“It is inspiring to see young physicians committed to the health of an entire community, likely outside of their own patient pool,” Loftus said. “This commitment, both emotional and physical in terms of the work he puts into farming, shows without any doubt that he cares about the greater Scranton area, its residents, and its future in ways that expand far beyond his chosen profession.”
Walking through his garden, bursting with crops like tomatoes, broccoli, and cantaloupe, Pelicci looks at home. He proudly points out the flourishing cucumber and pumpkin plants, while lamenting the loss of this summer’s corn crop to moles.
Despite the challenges and busy schedule of being a resident, the garden provides him with a sense of calm.
“[It] helps me get away from my studies,” he said. “It is nice to have that activity to escape the stresses of life.”
With the help of his mother, 67 year old Ann Pelicci, and occasionally from friends, Pelicci manages the demands of the garden.
Ann is happy to help her son.
“I just love doing it from the beginning all the way up to the end,” she said. “You create a ton of stuff, literally from nothing.”
Outside of the hospital, Pelicci acts on the advice he gives patients and appreciates his garden for allowing him to do so.
“I'm preaching to patients, you should have fruits and vegetables [and] fiber in your diet,” he said. “It's one thing to say something, but another thing to do it. So providing that is putting my words to a plan and an action.”
“I am fortunate to have what I have, and so I think it's an important thing for people who have been born with certain aspects in their life that make them more fortunate, they should utilize what they have to help others,” he said.
