Seeds of Change

Madeline Yang has long been passionate about food. As a kid, she loved gardening with her family. They often cooked and ate the things they grew.

When Madeline, now 17, was in eighth grade, she read an article that changed the way she thought about food. The story reported that Madeline’s community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, had been identified by the United States Department of Agriculture as a food desert, an area where many people don’t have access to affordable, high-quality food.

As soon as Madeline learned what a food desert was, she began to notice the characteristics throughout her city: a lack of grocery stores, a lot of fast-food restaurants, and very little green space for gardening.

Madeline had participated in food drives in the past, collecting and distributing food to underserved families. But her new understanding of her community’s needs made her want to do more.

In 2023, during Madeline’s freshman year in high school, she and a friend co-founded an organization aimed at making nutritious food easier to access. Called Food to Flourish, the group hosts food drives, teaches people about gardening, and distributes seeds to communities around the country. “We want to show young people that we need to care about these issues,” Madeline says.

Madeline Yang has long been passionate about food. She loved gardening with her family as a kid. They often cooked and ate the things they grew.

Then Madeline read an article in eighth grade. It changed the way she thought about food. The story featured Madeline’s community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The United States Department of Agriculture had identified her town as a food desert.

Madeline learned that in a food desert many people don’t have access to affordable, high-quality food. Knowing this, Madeline began to notice things around her city. There were few grocery stores and a lot of fast-food restaurants. And there was little green space for gardening.

Madeline had taken part in food drives in the past. She collected and gave out food to underserved families. But knowing her community was a food desert made her want to do more.

Madeline became a freshman in high school in 2023. That’s when she and a friend co-founded an organization called Food to Flourish. The group aims to make it easier to get nutritious food. It hosts food drives and teaches people about gardening. It also gives seeds to communities around the country. “We want to show young people that we need to care about these issues,” says Madeline, who is now 17.

Nutritious food is an important part of our health and well-being. But every year, 48 million people across the U.S., including 14 million kids, don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where or when they’ll get their next meal.

The main cause of this food insecurity is poverty. Many families can’t afford nutritious food, especially as the cost of other necessities like housing, energy, and health care have increased. Plus, many neighborhoods don’t have grocery stores with fresh food nearby. Instead, they may only have stores with affordable, packaged food that lacks important nutrients.

A diet that includes little nutritious food causes physical and mental health issues. Food insecurity can also affect school performance. According to a report from No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit group working to end childhood hunger, hungry students often struggle to concentrate. They also tend to have behavioral issues and get sick more often, leading to more school absences.

Nutritious food is an important part of our health and well-being. But 48 million people across the U.S. don’t have enough to eat. They also don’t know where or when they’ll get their next meal. This number includes 14 million kids.

The main cause of this food insecurity is poverty. Many families can’t afford nutritious food. That’s especially true as the cost of other necessities like housing, energy, and health care have increased. Plus, many neighborhoods don’t have grocery stores with fresh food nearby. Instead, they may only have stores with affordable, packaged food that lacks important nutrients.

A diet that includes little nutritious food causes physical and mental health issues. Food insecurity can also affect school performance. No Kid Hungry is a nonprofit group working to end childhood hunger. They found that hungry students often struggle to focus. Hungry students also tend to have behavioral issues. And they get sick more often, leading to more school absences.

When Madeline co-founded Food to Flourish, she and her team brainstormed how to address the problem of food insecurity. They started by hosting food drives. Madeline wondered if they could come up with a unique way to help. “We knew we could do more,” she says.

Madeline first learned about seed libraries when she saw one at a local public library where she was studying. A seed library is a space that offers free seeds for people to take home and accepts donated seeds people bring in. Seed libraries also typically offer free resources to help people garden and grow their own food.

Madeline loved the idea of sharing her passion for gardening and giving people the tools and education to grow food. So she decided to start a program through Food to Flourish to distribute seeds to existing seed libraries and help communities start new seed libraries. Madeline focused on nutritious, easy-to-grow plants, like tomatoes, herbs, and beans.

Madeline and her Food to Flourish team brainstormed how to address the problem of food insecurity. They started by hosting food drives. But “we knew we could do more,” says Madeline.

Then Madeline saw a seed library at a local public library. A seed library offers free seeds for people to take home. It also accepts donated seeds people bring in. Seed libraries also usually offer free resources. They help people learn to garden and grow their own food.

Madeline loved the idea of sharing her passion for gardening and giving people the tools and education to grow their own food. So she decided to start a program through Food to Flourish. It would give seeds to existing seed libraries and help communities start new ones. Madeline focused on nutritious, easy-to-grow plants. They included tomatoes, herbs, and beans.

At first, the idea was slow to catch on. “We didn’t know how to get started,” Madeline says. But after many emails to libraries, their network grew. “A couple months into our seed library initiative, we realized how many people loved them,” Madeline says.

One early challenge was funding. Seeds are not very expensive, costing just a few dollars a pack. But when you’re buying seeds for many libraries, the costs add up. The Food to Flourish team became good at applying for grants, a process that can be long and complicated.

Once Food to Flourish receives the seeds, the staff—all teens—sends them to libraries across the U.S. and in Canada. From there, the seeds make their way to homes and gardens. Madeline loves seeing photos of what people have grown, whether it’s herbs in indoor pots or squash and peppers in outdoor gardens. She often hears from the librarians who run the seed libraries. “It’s a delight to see their excitement about educating their community,” Madeline says.

The idea was slow to catch on at first. “We didn’t know how to get started,” Madeline says. But their network grew after many emails to libraries. “A couple months into our seed library initiative, we realized how many people loved them,” Madeline says.

One early challenge was funding. Seeds don’t cost much. They’re just a few dollars a pack. But the costs add up when you’re buying seeds for many libraries. The Food to Flourish team became good at applying for grants. This process to get money for organizations can be long and complex.

The Food to Flourish staff is totally made up of teens. They send seeds to libraries across the U.S. and in Canada. The seeds make their way to homes and gardens from there. Madeline loves seeing photos of what people have grown. It might be herbs in indoor pots or squash and peppers in outdoor gardens. She often hears from the librarians who run the seed libraries. “It’s a delight to see their excitement about educating their community,” Madeline says.

Food to Flourish now has a team of two dozen teens based in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. To date, the group has donated nearly 9,000 seed packets to 60 locations in 31 states and in Canada. They also host food drives and webinars and even co-wrote a book of nutritious recipes for kids.

Madeline is proud of Food to Flourish’s seed library initiative, but she knows seed libraries and personal gardens play just a small part in addressing food insecurity. Making food accessible to everyone will require major community improvements, like building more grocery stores and providing better public transportation. “This is just a starting point,” she says.

Madeline, now a high school senior, plans to study history, sustainability, and anthropology in college. She also plans to keep Food to Flourish going as long as the demand for seed libraries continues.

She hopes the organization both teaches people the power of growing their own fruits and vegetables and encourages them to pay attention to food insecurity in their own communities. “We need and want more people to care about these issues and get involved,” Madeline says.

Food to Flourish now has a team of two dozen teens. They’re based in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. The group has donated nearly 9,000 seed packets to date. They have gone to 60 locations in 31 states and in Canada. They also host food drives and webinars. They even co-wrote a book of nutritious recipes for kids.

Madeline is proud of Food to Flourish’s seed library project. But she knows seed libraries and personal gardens play just a small part in fixing food insecurity. Making food accessible to everyone will require major changes within communities. Examples are building more grocery stores and providing better public transportation. “This is just a starting point,” she says.

Madeline is now a high school senior. She plans to study history, sustainability, and anthropology in college. She also plans to keep Food to Flourish going as long as the demand for seed libraries continues.

She hopes the organization teaches people the power of growing their own fruits and vegetables. She wants to encourage them to pay attention to food insecurity in their own communities, as well. “We need and want more people to care about these issues and get involved,” Madeline says.