by Rebecca Vaught, 2023 No Kid Hungry Summer Youth Ambassador

WOW! What a fun summer it’s been! For the last 10 weeks, I’ve worked at Food Shares, on the Frankfort Independent Summer Meals program, online ordering, blog writing, tabled at events, and worked at Kids Days. I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the market and Frankfort Independent Schools as the 2023 No Kid Hungry Summer Youth Ambassador. I wanted to write a blog post to share some of the cool things I’ve done this summer and to reflect on the last 10 weeks. 

My most significant task this summer was working on the Frankfort Independent Summer Meals program. I was in charge of communicating with our families, keeping track of registrations, working check-in, creating menus and meal packets, and helping wherever possible. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, we distributed over 54,000 meals this summer--just in our weekly pick-ups. To share a few numbers from this summer:

  • 64,432 Total Meals (Both weekly pick-ups and sites)

  • 3,864 Gallons of Milk

  • 300+ Households Served

  • 12,920 servings of locally grown vegetables

This summer was a wild success for the nutrition and the Farm-to-School programs, and I am grateful to have played a role in the program’s success. 

I also got to work several Tuesday markets this summer and run kids’ activities at various tabling events. I got to teach kids about different types of seeds and what they grew while making designs in clay with the seeds. I lost track of how many times I got to shock people by informing them that broccoli is a flower (yes, really!) Another highlight was using miniature gourds to construct maracas and decorating them with tissue paper. My favorite activity was making (and sampling) red, white, and blue potato salad on the Fourth of July.

Working at Food Share is another highlight of this summer--if you’ve never been to one before, you must go!!! I’ve had samples of some of the most incredible food, handed out (and eaten) gallons of popcorn, and watched as hundreds of people filled their boxes and bags full of delicious local food. The next food share is August 22nd, and the link below will have more information! My favorite job at Food Share was always seeing how much stuff I could fit in my minivan (hauling all the supplies for a food share is a true team effort!)

This summer has been an incredible learning experience. I often joked that I didn’t know how I got this job since I knew so little about farming. While I am still no expert, I have learned a fun thing or two this summer! From learning how to harvest kale, to the fact that most green bell peppers are unripe red peppers, and that bagging 300 croissants isn’t as impossible as it seems, I've learned a lot. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to serve our community. Food access, especially access to nutritious food is a necessity and there is great need for it in Frankfort. Getting to play a small role in this enormous task has been so rewarding. I am enormously grateful to all of the people I have worked with this summer--Connie Lemley, Kellie Sebastian, Risa Yost, Anisha Adams, Amy White, Daniel Rogers, Dwayne Stevens, Kayla Simpson, and so many other incredible people!

Working for the Farmers Market has been a truly life-changing experience. And, hey! We’re hiring! Check out the flyer below for more info on a part-time position.