Our project aims to develope a long-term, sustainable food pantry to serve the youth patrons of the Millvale Community Library.

Many of our youth patrons lack access to healthy food options after school and during the summer months - Millvale is a food desert, and 48% of children living in Millvale live below the poverty line. The Millvale Community Library is looking to help serve this population by offering hands-on nutritional education, gardening workshops with our community partners The Gardens of Millvale, cooking and food-prep classes with our neighbors Tupelo Teas, and classes teaching canning and other sustainable storage practices. Our short-term goal is to provide immediate healthy food options for our youth population, both while they are at the library and to take home with them once they leave the library.

Our long-term goal is to develope a culture dedicated to sustainable food practices and healthy, mindful eating. We view our youth population as the future of our community; by teaching them these practices now, they can take this culture home to their families and help act as advocates for healthy/sustainable food practices in the Millvale community at large.