Youth Food Security Summit
About the Summit
The Youth Food Security Summit is an annual event that provides youth with the opportunity to gain an understanding of food insecurity through workshops, hands-on activities, and guest speakers! We hope to empower high school-aged students to join the conversation about hunger and give them the chance to connect with other passionate youths.
2026 Youth Food Security Summit Recap
This year's summit was a huge success! Over 60 participants between the ages of 13-18 came together on September 12th to learn about Food Security and how to take Action. This summit's theme was Rooted in Action where we empowered youth to explore food insecurity, engage with local changemakers, and leave with the tools, connections, and next steps to create meaningful change in their schools, neighborhoods, and beyond.
We hosted six different interactive workshops focused on nutrition, hunger awareness and teaching youth how to be involved in their communities to help stop hunger. Participants had the opportunity to hear from a handful of inspirational speakers. We learned from Mike Burger of Tri-Area Ministries on what hunger can look like in youth. Siblings Audrey and George Scanlon spoke about how they got started creating their Mini Pantry Pit stops initiative.
This year's lunch was sponsored by Food Truck Affiliates and was catered by Chef Caleb from Black Apron catering, Chef Tera from Chef Tera Catering, and Taste of Blk.
Special thanks to all of our partner organizations, volunteers, speakers, caterers, & Chavis Community Center employees who made this incredible event possible!
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This Year’s Summit was all about planting ideas, growing connections, and leading the way towards a more food secure future. From hands-on workshops to bold conversations about food insecurity and impactful service projects, young leaders demonstrated what’s possible when passion meets purpose.
Together, we:
Opened important conversations about food security
Learned how to design outreach journeys, reduce household waste, and adopt sustainable practices through the PORCH model and container gardening.
Packed 200 Kits of Care bags to support families across Wake County.
Youth explored opportunities provided by the NC Youth Institute and had the chance to connect with incredible partners during an engaging tabling session.
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The 2024 Youth Food Security Summit was a huge success! On September 20th, 2024, the attendees had the opportunity to attend workshops to learn how to pickle watermelon rinds, harvest seeds for replanting, make budget-friendly meals, and plan their own service projects. Everyone worked together to pack 200 hundred care packages that were donated to The Women's Center of the Triangle to help people in need. We're so happy with how everything turned out, and we look forward to next year's summit being even bigger and better!
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The 2023 Youth Food Security Summit was successful with 50 youth attendees from 13 to 18 years of age. Four workshops were instructed and youth were given the chance to choose two out of the four. Workshops included:
Gardening
Nutrition
Sustainability
Service
In the afternoon, the youth painted mini-pantries! Mini-pantries are public and free outdoor food storages where individuals can give and take shelf-stable goods. The pantries were installed at four different locations:
At a low-income apartments complex for elderly and disabled adults
At a Salvation Army Facility
At a Community Garden
At the Town of Wake Forest
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The 2021 Youth Food Security Summit was a hybrid event with nearly 50 youth participants. Breakout sessions focused on equity in food systems, nutrition, and food access, held via Zoom, while an outdoor service project took place at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC Garden. This combination of virtual learning and hands-on service allowed youth to engage with critical topics and contribute directly to food security efforts during the Covid19 Pandemic.
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The 2019 Youth Food Security Summit was held at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC and hosted approximately 44 youth (adjust if you have the exact number). Reverend Richard Joyner from Conetoe Family Life Center delivered a lively keynote, emphasizing the power of youth in transforming the food system. In the afternoon, youth participants engaged in hands-on activities, working in the garden and assisting in the Food Bank's warehouse.
