My name is Lexi, and I am a high schooler in the Bronx. I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a home where fresh fruits and vegetables were part of every meal. Knowing that the same isn’t true for many food-insecure New York City families, I’ve been volunteering with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine for a while, collecting and delivering unsold food goods to communities in need. 

 

But until I began volunteering at ABC Harlem in my freshman year, I had never really considered the difference between making food accessible to kids and making it appealing to them. Dinner at ABC always includes fresh fruits and vegetables; however, the kids repeatedly compost these foods instead of eating them – preferring the mac & cheese and other ultra-processed foods that they’re used to. 

 

As all parents know, ultra-processed foods come in brightly colored packaging, and comparably, fresh produce is not as appealing to kids. However, the challenge of encouraging children to eat healthily is even tougher for parents who suffer from food insecurity, because it’s harder to routinely expose their children to fresh produce. The most affordable foods, as well as those with the longest shelf-lives, are boxed, frozen, and canned, and generally ultra-processed. 

 

After working with the kids at ABC, I realized that it wasn’t enough to combat food insecurity—in order to truly make a difference, we also needed to introduce food-insecure children to healthy eating habits in a fun and accessible way.

 

So, incorporating my love of storytelling, creative writing, and teaching, I created Words & Wellness. My goal is to support kids in NYC and beyond in making healthy food choices while we work towards a world in which food insecurity is a thing of the past.