Photography by Elizabeth Jochum
Every child is so excited to see the seed and watch it grow,” says Sophie Bernstein, a sophomore at Clayton High School and the founder of Go Healthy St. Louis, a project that promotes healthy eating among St. Louis youth while fighting childhood hunger. “Just watching each child get excited about picking a red tomato is so special. Kids are excited to eat the fresh produce and use it in healthy snacks.”
When Bernstein planted her first vegetable garden in 2011, she didn’t know how far it would take her. “When touring some of the local food banks where I dropped off produce from my garden, I discovered there were limited healthy and fresh produce options available,” she says. “Seeing the benefits and impact of one garden, I reached out to area low-income preschools and offered to build raised garden beds and plant, maintain, and donate gardening tools and seedlings to the schools.” Go Healthy St. Louis continues Bernstein’s original idea by donating supplies and educating teachers and students about how to build raised-bed vegetable gardens.
Today, Bernstein’s project has trained more than 750 teen volunteers, and 1,200-plus teens have attended her monthly garden workshops at synagogues, churches, and schools. “With my ultimate goal being to end childhood hunger in the U.S.,” she says, “I hope to expand my project to other cities in Missouri and provide healthy food options to families in need.”
