For more than two decades, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes has celebrated inspiring young people across the United States and Canada who are making a meaningful difference in their communities. Established in 2001, the national award annually honors 25 young leaders between the ages of 8 and 18 whose service projects have made a positive impact on people or the environment.
Among this year’s honorees are four teenagers tackling food-related issues in creative ways. From rescuing thousands of pounds of produce to fighting hunger and turning food waste into an environmentally friendly herbicide, their organizations are feeding communities, reducing waste, restoring ecosystems, and inspiring others to get involved.
Apollin Lu – Food Recovery Alliance
Growing up on her family’s garlic farm in Victoria, British Columbia, 17-year-old Apollin Lu saw firsthand how much good food went to waste. At the same time, she saw people in her community struggling with food insecurity. Lu founded Food Recovery Alliance to bridge that gap, partnering with local farms to rescue surplus crops and redistribute them to shelters and community organizations.
Over the past three years, Lu has brought together more than 140 young volunteers to harvest nearly 9,000 pounds of produce from 12 farms throughout Greater Victoria and Vancouver. Valued at more than $32,000 and almost entirely organically grown, the recovered produce helps provide fresh food to people in need.
Food Recovery Alliance has also expanded beyond harvesting crops. The organization operates a community garden where younger students grow produce for donation and has launched a program that uses recovered produce to prepare meals for a women’s shelter. Lu’s team also created an app that provides farmers with tax receipts when they donate food. They are now developing an app to connect farmers, volunteers, and distribution partners in real time, with the goal of recovering one million pounds of food.
“I’ve learned that showing up with the same energy every single time, even when it’s hard, is itself a form of leadership,” Lu says. “And I’ve learned that when young people show up, they can build something that matters.”
Appolin Lu of Food Recovery Alliance.
Learn more about Food Recovery Alliance.
Anakh Sawhney – Rice Kids
Anakh Sawhney was just 9 years old when she began volunteering with her family at homeless shelters. Inspired by the children she met, the Bernardsville, New Jersey native founded Rice Kids to provide hot meals to children experiencing hunger. Now at 17, Sawhney has expanded the organization’s mission to address some of the underlying barriers that prevent children from accessing education.
Today, Rice Kids has supported more than 110,000 people across five states and several regions of India. Through partnerships with hundreds of shelters, community centers, and educational organizations, the nonprofit provides education programs, nutrition and health support, school supplies, computers, and clothing. Rice Kids also trains women in marginalized communities to become educators, helping create local leadership and keep children in school. In India, more than half of the students supported by the organization have returned to mainstream education.
For Sawhney, listening to the communities Rice Kids serves is essential. “I have learned that listening is harder than it sounds,” she says. “The most important shifts in how Rice Kids operates have come from moments where I put the plan aside and listened to what families were actually telling me.”
Anakh Sawhney of Rice Kids teaching in India.
Learn more about Rice Kids and follow them on Instagram.
Apollo Wong – Glean On Me
In Southern California, 17-year-old Apollo Wong saw an opportunity to address two problems at once: food insecurity and food waste. While volunteering at a homeless shelter, Wong noticed a lack of fresh food. At the same time, neighborhood fruit trees were overflowing with produce that often went uneaten.
Wong founded Glean on Me, a youth-led Pasadena organization that harvests excess fruit and donates it to local charities. He has since led 24 harvests across the San Gabriel Valley, bringing together more than 250 volunteers to recover over 11,000 pounds of fruit. Through 14 partner organizations, the produce has helped feed thousands of people in need.
Beyond harvesting, Wong speaks at schools throughout California about hunger and food waste, encouraging other young people to get involved. “I’ve learned that making a difference requires perseverance: show up, roll up your sleeves, expect to work hard, and don’t give up,” Wong says. “In time, good things will come to fruition.”
Apollo Wong of Glean on Me.
Learn more about Glean on Me and follow them on Instagram.
Leo Toake – Re:Imagine Inc.
Sixteen-year-old Leo Toake of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, is giving food waste a second life as a tool for environmental restoration. He co-founded Re:Imagine Inc., a nonprofit that combines science and community service to restore native biodiversity.
At the center of its work is S.A.F.E., an environmentally friendly, low-cost herbicide made from food waste like potato peels and coffee grounds. Designed to suppress invasive plant species without harming surrounding soil or water systems, S.A.F.E. achieved an 82.5% inhibition rate against invasive Japanese stilt grass. So far, Toake has diverted more than 500 pounds of food waste from landfills.
The project has also moved beyond experimentation. Toake and more than 70 volunteers have restored 15 acres in northern New Jersey, removing over two tons of invasive biomass and planting more than 100 keystone species. “My initial effort to restore land has evolved into something more enduring,” Toake explains. “It is about building a culture of care where people see themselves not as separate from their environment but as responsible for it.”
Leo Toake of Re:Imagine Inc.
Learn more about Re:Imagine Inc. and follow them on Instagram.
While their approaches differ, Lu, Sawhney, Wong, and Toake share an understanding that food is connected to far more than what ends up on a plate. Their work addresses issues ranging from poverty and education to sustainability and community health. Through the organizations they have built, these four Gloria Barron Prize honorees are proving that young people don’t have to wait until adulthood to create meaningful change.
AUTHOR
Nicolette Degrassi is a Boston based food and travel blogger. When she's not traveling the world, you can find her reading the latest Book of the Month novel or trying to perfect her sticky toffee pudding recipe. Follow her adventures on Instagram @nadegrassi.
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