Fed up with a shortage of fresh food in their neighborhood, some Baltimore City eighth-grade students came up with a way to help eliminate food deserts.Communities in west Baltimore are where fruits and vegetables are hard to come by. Four junior entrepreneurs from New Song Academy met 11 News on Wednesday nearby at the Strength to Love Farm II on Kavanaugh Street between Fulton and Monroe streets.”It would help our community look better and be healthier,” said Aniya Ponton, a student.The students are about to launch a produce business, Bmore Fresh, with $13,000 they just received from the Philanthropy Tank. They’ll use the money and the skills they picked up at the farm to grow and harvest fruits and vegetables.Their dream on paper, which began with a classroom community-based project, has become a reality.”I didn’t know we would come this far. I thought it was going to be like a little class project that we normally do,” Ponton said.”I was excited because I wanted to see what we could do, like, how far we can get in this,” said Logan Reynolds, a student.The teens plan to use part of the money to buy a used bus and stock it with food grown in partnership with neighborhood farms.”It looks like a bus with fresh foods and produce inside of it and with a lot of people on the outside,” said Ryeona Watson, a student.”It’s a lot of food deserts around here. There is no fresh fruits. So, we wanted to try and fix that and at least clear some food deserts up,” said Samahj Chesnut, a student.Jayson Green, New Song Academy’s executive director, never had any doubts that the girls would succeed.”They know they are in it, they see it. They know what they can buy and not buy in the community. They know what doesn’t exist. They know what bothers them,” Green said.”It feels good to know that we have people to help us and that support us and want us to launch our project,” Chesnut said.”We were happy because it was going to make our community better, because our community is always talked down upon. So, we want to make the community positive,” Watson said.The students will meet with mentors over the summer before announcing next steps.
Fed up with a shortage of fresh food in their neighborhood, some Baltimore City eighth-grade students came up with a way to help eliminate food deserts.
Communities in west Baltimore are where fruits and vegetables are hard to come by. Four junior entrepreneurs from New Song Academy met 11 News on Wednesday nearby at the Strength to Love Farm II on Kavanaugh Street between Fulton and Monroe streets.
“It would help our community look better and be healthier,” said Aniya Ponton, a student.
The students are about to launch a produce business, Bmore Fresh, with $13,000 they just received from the Philanthropy Tank. They’ll use the money and the skills they picked up at the farm to grow and harvest fruits and vegetables.
Their dream on paper, which began with a classroom community-based project, has become a reality.
“I didn’t know we would come this far. I thought it was going to be like a little class project that we normally do,” Ponton said.
“I was excited because I wanted to see what we could do, like, how far we can get in this,” said Logan Reynolds, a student.
The teens plan to use part of the money to buy a used bus and stock it with food grown in partnership with neighborhood farms.
“It looks like a bus with fresh foods and produce inside of it and with a lot of people on the outside,” said Ryeona Watson, a student.
“It’s a lot of food deserts around here. There is no fresh fruits. So, we wanted to try and fix that and at least clear some food deserts up,” said Samahj Chesnut, a student.
Jayson Green, New Song Academy’s executive director, never had any doubts that the girls would succeed.
“They know they are in it, they see it. They know what they can buy and not buy in the community. They know what doesn’t exist. They know what bothers them,” Green said.
“It feels good to know that we have people to help us and that support us and want us to launch our project,” Chesnut said.
“We were happy because it was going to make our community better, because our community is always talked down upon. So, we want to make the community positive,” Watson said.
The students will meet with mentors over the summer before announcing next steps.
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