4-H’ers Make a Difference for Food Insecurity

 

How often does attending a national conference lead to true change? With 4-H, it does! In 2023, the Massachusetts 4-H’ers who attended the 4-H Ignite Conference initiated a “Lead to Change” project to make a positive impact on their communities. The 4-H attendees recruited other members and organized a “Day of Ag-cess” on October 14, 2023 to combat food insecurity throughout the state.

The “Lead to Change” project enabled the youth conference delegates to incorporate what they learned at the conference into their projects. The Massachusetts 4-H delegates, including Faith Motta, 19, of Adams, Miru Kunst, 17, of West Boylston, and Harrison Sachs, 17, of Bedford, learned that food insecurity impacts 7% of the population. “One of the goals of our project was to educate adults and children about food insecurity,” explained Faith.

This concept expanded beyond the delegates to other 4-H’ers . The group decided that each county would lead a project related to food insecurity with leaders or “captains.” In Berkshire County, Faith and her sister Hope led the youth in a food drive.

Harrison led Middlesex County along with co-captain Sam Jackson, 17, of Chelmsford. He contacted Boston Area Gleaners, a nonprofit that works with farms to donate their excess food to those in need. Middlesex County 4-H’ers picked 2,200 apples – more than two tons- at Baker’s Farmstand in North Attleboro and donated what they collected to a food insecure population.

Miru headed up the Norfolk County group for the Day of Ag-Cess and managed the event’s social media. “We ran a two-week food drive at the school (Norfolk County Agricultural High School),” Miru said. “I led our school in different shifts working in the (school’s) garden to harvest food. We really wanted to focus on fresh food, since that’s not something people can always get,” she explained. The youth also packed nonperishable goods, giving their donations to food pantries in Dedham, Norwood, and Walpole.

In Worcester County, Brooke Macjewski of Grafton captained an event at Waters Farm in Sutton. The youth ran a table to spread awareness of food insecurity and programs that help such as SNAP benefits. Participants were also able to plant seeds and learn the history of the farm.

Meg Riley, an Ag Extension Educator for Plymouth County, worked with youth on the Day of Ag-Cess.  They opened the farm at the Plymouth County Center for Agriculture so seniors could pick up food. 4-H’ers performed similar outreach during a summer agricultural session, when they brought food to the senior center. “The seniors were super excited to hang out with the kids again. It was an opportunity to extend the relationship we already made,” said Meg. “The seniors were excited to see the farm that their vegetables were grown on.”

The 4-H youth gained different takeaways from their Day of Ag-Cess experiences. Miru learned about the value of managing a large project. “I learned about management and food insecurity. There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem,” she said. “The best thing I learned is how much a community could get done in one day.” Harrison, meanwhile, saw the value of Boston Area Gleaners’ mission. “It was important to see how these organizations can work with farms to donate the surplus crops that otherwise would not have been harvested,” he said. “It helps people who are impacted by food insecurity.”

The Day of Ag-Cess’s influence extended far beyond October 14^th. The youth also contributed information on food insecurity to the 4-H Educators’ curriculum. Back in Plymouth, Meg Riley and the 4-H’ers plan to spend more time with seniors and grow vegetables for them again next summer.