According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, a horrifying 1.6 million people in our commonwealth report they have struggled to have enough food to eat in the past year. This staggering figure reveals a pressing need to help those facing food insecurity in our local community, a need that the Food Security Club at Needham High is trying to address. According to club president Nikhil Ahn, the club was created because of his belief that “The Needham High school community needed a club which dealt with food insecurity in the Greater Boston Area.” The club was founded in March 2020 but has quickly grown to nearly 30 members (including this writer). Right now, nearly all of the members are juniors; however, they hope to attract more students from other classes.
The food security club has already completed one pop-up food pantry at Roses Bounty in West Roxbury. In the single afternoon that the pantry was open, they were able to help almost 100 families. This year, the Food Security Club plans to create more food pantries and do them more regularly. Currently, the club is discussing plans to complete their second food pantry through China Town Access in the next few months. China Town Access is a non-profit organization that helps immigrant families from China and is an excellent example of the great work that the Food Security Club is hoping to complete.
In addition to supporting families in the Greater Boston Area, the club is also fun to join. As 11th grader Peter Vivaldi remarked, “The [food security] club is fun and it is not stressful at all.” Fellow 11th grader Melina Rijnobout added that “All ideas are welcome.” During the club meetings, members usually break off into specific groups to discuss targeted topics. These smaller groups allow people to explore different interests; for example, if someone is interested in fundraising, they can go to the fundraising group. If not, then they can go to a different group. Using this method, the club can efficiently complete many tasks at once and accommodate many people’s interests. But, ultimately, they all have a common purpose; as 11th grader Roshan Pillai put it, “We love helping people.” If you are interested in joining the club, you can email Nikhil at nma231@students.needham.k12.ma.us or go to a meeting immediately after school on Wednesdays in room 455.
If you cannot attend the meetings, you can still help the club by participating in their fundraisers. The club is planning to hold a fundraiser in the coming months to raise money for creating new food pantries and the transportation of food to food pantries. The fundraiser will be a Game Pigeon tournament, and the winner will be awarded a twenty-dollar gift card. The club will provide more information about the tournament in the coming weeks. Last year the club did a seed drive, which raised hundreds of dollars, and the club hopes to match the success of their fundraiser last year.
The food security club is one of the best clubs to join in Needham High school because of its mission of helping those facing challenges finding quality food and the enjoyable environment of club meetings. So, join today!