While City Schools board members, parents, and other Food, What?! supporters enjoyed a delicious meal prepared and served by students from the produce they had grown, student interns stood one by one to tell their stories. One intern had arrived in the program speaking only Spanish, and had learned to speak English working side by side with other students. Another intern said, “I wanted to look good in other kids’ eyes,” and Food, What?! taught him to see himself in a positive light. “It’s a life skill,” he said, “lending ourselves to all that positivity.” Positivity versus negativity; instead of complaining about fog, wind, heavy labor, and stinging insects, students withstood the tough working environment by encouraging each other. Clearly Doron had been talking with them about more than chard.

Doron and fellow Food, What?! founder Abby Bell also helped their interns to see themselves in a positive light by teaching them public speaking. Which was why–while we enjoyed baked polenta made from farm-grown corn, as well as vegetable kebabs, bean salad, and apple crisp all made from farm produce—the interns were standing one by one to tell their stories.

One student, a graduate of the program, spoke about her mom raising her and her brother single-handedly while working full-time. Her mom had a culinary background and was a great cook, yet with little money and a full-time job, she had fallen into the habit of providing fast food dinners. But the stories her daughter brought home from Food, What?! began to change how they ate. The way her daughter described it, instead of giving what money they had to a fast food chain, they increased the value of their dollar by giving it back to the community and preparing simple, healthy meals with the produce they bought.