Giving Back to the Community And The Land With The Food Project

Giving Back to the Community And The Land With The Food Project

By Hannah Fried-Tanzer, Contributing Writer

For those looking for a rewarding experience, a chance to learn about healthy foods and farming skills, and a way to help their community, the Food Project is a great opportunity. This organization works with teenagers and adults to produce food through farming, and distribute it to all levels of society so that everyone can develop healthier eating habits.

Local Youth Programs Director Julien Goulet explains that the Food Project "provides volunteers with the opportunity to get connected to where food comes from and be involved in a pretty amazing process.”

This process teaches teenagers what is good and what is broken in the food system. People have the opportunity to learn how to plant, weed, and garden, in addition to teaching others about farming and maintaining a healthy diet. Those who have volunteered and worked with the Food Project have shown a greater interest in knowing where their food comes from and have gone on to change the eating habits of others as well. For example, some have helped convince their cafeterias' staff in college to provide locally produced products so that students know the food they are eating is healthy.

The Food Project is split up into three youth programs:

· The Summer Youth Program allows teenagers to get down in the earth throughout the summer in any of the Food Project's farms located in Beverly, Boston, Ipswich, Lincoln and Lynn.

· In the Academic Year Youth Program, teens learn to be leaders in the field, helping others in addition to farming.

· In the Internship Program, the teenagers become the teachers, instructing others how to work in the fields.

· Additionally, there is an Urban Learning Farm program where teenagers teach third and fourth graders how to grow food and eat healthy foods.

In order to get involved, an application can be found on The Food Project's website, http://thefoodproject.org/. Applicants ages 14 and older can apply to work at the Food Project by simply filling out the application, writing a few essays, and having an interview. With around 500 applicants each year, the Food Project only has 90 positions. However, those who do not get a paid job are welcome to volunteer; volunteer opportunities are available to teens age 12 and older. These volunteer positions include working the farms, learning in workshops, and volunteering at shelters. In another workshop, a chef comes in to teach teenagers how to cook the food that they farm. No matter what you do—from working in the fields, to distributing the foods, to volunteering in a shelter—everyone is a part of a big process that makes the community a more knowledgeable and healthier place.

All of the produce grown by the Food Project is collected and distributed to many different places. Some of the food is donated to hunger relief organizations, while other food is distributed to food markets in Boston and areas in which "access to food is not easy to come by,” as Goulet describes it. Not only is the food organic and healthy, but it is not sold at organic food prices, making it cheaper and more accessible. Additionally, people in the community can buy a share in the farm. As supporters of the farm, they can come to the farm to pick up vegetables for themselves.

The Food Project is a chance to meet other teenagers and make a difference in the community. It is a chance to learn about the food you eat and where it comes from. It is a chance to give to those less fortunate who may not have access to healthy foods. But most important, it is an amazing experience in which teenagers not only affect the lives of those today, but work to make the world a better place tomorrow.

"The Food Project wouldn't be able to do what we do without our youth,” explains Goulet. "Our teen volunteers are people that have the energy and intelligence to make a difference in the world.”

Hannah Fried-Tanzer is a junior at Holliston High school who is interested in communications and enjoys theatre. She is president of Natick United Synagogue Youth, and is a member of National Honors Society.