19-04-2025
BTW student secures funding for healthy food initiative in Shreveport
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A Shreveport high schooler secured funding through a global food service company grant to help her community learn to reduce food waste and develop healthier eating habits.
The grant was awarded through the Stop Hunger Foundation's YSA (Youth Service America) program, which was created by Sodexo food service. YSA funds support youth-led projects aimed at ending childhood hunger in local communities and were awarded to Aniyah Blunt, a student at Booker T. Washington High School.
Dr. Sharon F. Green of Oasis of Hope, Louisiana, said, 'Our youth are visionaries. Aniyah is a shining example of how young leaders can use their voice, creativity, and heart to impact families and communities.
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The teen's project aims to help local families understand the importance of minimizing food waste and prepare meals efficiently using healthy and tasty recipes. She said she wants to be proactive about helping her peers make better food choices because she sees them increasingly being diagnosed with diabetes and other preventable health issues that are directly related to poor eating habits.
Through the initiative, Aniyah gets to lead by example as young participants in the GEMS (Girls Empowered for More Society) program join Southern University Shreveport Students, and Oasis of Hope Louisiana for an afternoon of service on Good Friday. The youth will serve seniors at the Martin Luther King Community Center after assisting chefs who will prepare the meals. The learning- and service-centered event brings together community members, students, and local leaders for a celebration of fellowship.
The Good Friday MLK Luncheon affirms the shared mission of all involved to uplift youth and build stronger, healthier communities.
Oasis of Hope Louisiana is a nonprofit organization that focuses on STEAM by incorporating fun, hands-on activities designed to spark imagination and illustrate the connection between science, technology, engineering, and math, and everyday life.
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