Recovering and Delivering Food to the Underserved: Student Spotlight on SHS Junior Jack Levin

Levin sorting food for Grassroots GroceryAfter learning that only one in four New Yorkers who experience a food emergency access a food pantry, citing both physical barriers – such as transportation and inconvenience – and emotional ones, including stigma, discrimination, or even just dignity, former teacher Dan Zauderer founded Grassroots Grocery which works to removes those barriers by bringing the pantry to the people. According to their website, “Every Saturday, we rescue over 10,000 pounds of produce from our amazing Hunts Point Produce Market partners and distribute it to more than 1,100 families. Each drop-off site has a community leader, or grassroots grocer, who is committed to getting this food to people in their neighborhood. Our volunteer drivers help deliver this harvest to places it’s never gone before: hanging on a doorknob for someone who can’t leave their home, or in a community fridge where anyone can access it without having to ask.”

Last year, Scarsdale High School Junior Jack Levin volunteered one Saturday morning to help sort produce. Seeing what an incredible impact Grassroot Grocery has made for some of our neighboring communities, Levin kept returning on Saturday mornings to volunteer his time. Now, Levin works as a Student Ambassador and helps to ensure that the Saturday food sorting, packing and distributing runs smoothly. Levin also works to rescue excess food from SHS.

We recently interviewed Levin to learn more about this remarkable work and how others can get involved with Grassroots Grocery.

Q: How would you describe your work with Grassroots Grocery?

A: I am a part of the Grassroots Grocery Student Ambassadors and student food recovery task force so my main goal, in addition to being a core volunteer on Saturdays, is to try and get support for and people involved in grassroots grocery through fundraising and spreading the word. As part of the student food recovery task force I became interested in trying to start rescuing excess food from Scarsdale High School. My friend, Arman Amin, and I spoke to Principal Bonamo and Ms. Cook, the Director of Dining Services, about collecting excess food and donating it. They were both very supportive and we were able to make our first delivery of food from SHS today. Thanks to Ms. Cook and the food service staff, Arman and I collected a whole car load of food that would otherwise have been wasted over the Thanksgiving break and we delivered it to the Coop City Community Fridge in the Bronx. The food included fruit, vegetables, bakery items and sandwiches. Most of the food was taken quickly from the fridge which shows how much need there is for food.

Q: Why is this work important to you?

A: This work is important to me because I don't think anyone should go hungry, especially our neighbors. Food is the number one thing in US landfills - we waste 40% of our food which equals 130 BILLION meals and 218 BILLION dollars of food waste per year. So when I know that in the Bronx, only 20 min from my house, 40% of people and 1 out of every 3 kids are hungry I have to try to help.

Q: What is your favorite part of volunteering?Arman Armin and Jack Levin rescuing excess food from SHSArman Armin and Jack Levin rescuing excess food from SHS.

A: My favorite part of volunteering is delivering food into the community and seeing it get to families who need it.

Q: How can others get involved with Grassroots Grocery?

A: I hope people will join the Saturday Produce Parties - if they come, I know they will enjoy it and appreciate what a big difference they can make for the community. Here is the link to volunteer at a Produce Party

Students can apply to become an Ambassador and join the Food Recovery Task Force to start rescuing and donating food from their school. Arman and I would love other SHS students to join us in rescuing food from SHS and it would be great for students at SMS and the elementary schools to start food donation programs too.

Q: Can people help if they aren’t able to volunteer their time on Saturdays?

A: People can also get involved by donating to grassroots to help double their impact on hunger and food waste. This year I am fundraising to help Grassroots double its impact on hunger and food waste. Hopefully, Grassroots can expand from rescuing 13,000 to 26,000 pounds of produce every week, increase to two weekly produce deliveries and, most importantly, provide healthy food for over 3000 families every week.

Here is the link to my donation page where I am attempting to raise $7500 and beat last year’s $5400.

Whether it's through volunteer work, making art, science research, or entrepreneurship, many Scarsdale students work hard to make our community, and the world, a better place. If you are a student in Scarsdale who is making an impact, we’d love to share your story in our Student Spotlight. Please reach out to [email protected].