Duwan is a member of the The Food Project’s academic year youth program.

Before I came to The Food Project I was a very close-minded, careless youth. I never thought about where my food came from, what I should and should not eat, and I only took this job because I had nothing better to do. If I never took this job I would be that same hardheaded teen. After I was enrolled in this program I started to think more about others, what I eat, and how my actions affect my environment. For example, when I got the opportunity to work at the Farmer’s Market and a Hunger Relief Organization I really started to change the way I think and behave. After seeing how little these people have and after discovering that what most say about the homeless is not true, I started to appreciate what I have more. Plus, I was able to help prepare and serve the food at the shelter, so I felt like I was really helping to make a difference in the lives of some of the people there.

Also, by working at the Farmer’s Market I got to have all of these exciting conversations with people that I have never met before, I had the opportunity to work with new vegetables and produce that I have never seen, and I was also able to take a small percent of the produce home and cook it. In addition, my experience at The Food Project has been beneficial and great so far, and my experience ties into The Food Project Vision, which is “to create personal and social change through sustainable agriculture.”