AMES, Iowa – Food insecurity impacts nearly every community, and one Iowa State professor is on a mission to empower high school students to address this issue.

Walter Suza, adjunct associate professor of agronomy and George Washington Carver Endowed Chair, is leading the George Washington Carver Future Hunger Fighters Program in collaboration with writing specialist Erin Todey, assistant director of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at Iowa State University, to engage Iowa high school students in developing innovative solutions to food insecurity challenges.
Students must work in teams to write essays identifying a hunger-related issue in their community and proposing a way to address it. The winning teams will be awarded funds to make those projects a reality.
Students in Ames High School’s Students Helping to Eliminate Poverty and Hunger Club are the first to take part in the program and will submit their essays in May. Eight teams have registered to participate, and each received a participation gift to help reduce school lunch debt for their high school’s study body.
Collin Reichert, Ames High School science teacher and advisor of the Students Helping to Eliminate Poverty and Hunger Club, said the program challenges students to be practical in their proposed solutions while considering financial and other constraints in implementing the projects. He has encouraged his students to contact local community experts to learn how existing food insecurity programs could be improved.
“As an educator, I think the type of thinking required to address food insecurity has great academic benefits while simultaneously developing the character of students,” Reichert said. “By partnering with community experts, students come to have a more nuanced understanding of the challenges that need to be overcome to accomplish our societal goals. This understanding of the real challenges in tackling hunger, I feel, is where student creativity can be best applied.”
Suza hopes the project will honor and celebrate the legacy of George Washington Carver and inspire students to make a difference in their community.
“We should all take pride in the outstanding leadership these students are showing in addressing hunger in our community,” Suza said. “Their passion and initiative are truly inspiring and provide hope for a brighter future.”
Ames High School students shared the inspiration behind their involvement in the program, speaking about the impact it will have on their lives and community.
"I’m participating because it seems like a great way to connect with the community around us,” said Laura, an Ames High School student. “I definitely want to be involved in this topic throughout my college and post-college years, so this is a great experience to begin getting inspired by my community."
"This gives me a sense of purpose and satisfaction from figuring out real world logistics,” added David, an Ames High School student. “I also get to meet people who care deeply about others and the state of the community."
To get involved with or participate in the program, contact Suza by emailing wpsuza@iastate.edu.
Contacts
Walter Suza, Department of Agronomy, 515-294-4138, wpsuza@iastate.edu
Whitney Baxter, Agriculture and Life Sciences Communications, 515-294-2314, wjsager@iastate.edu