Hormel announces 2024 Class of 10 Under 20 Food Heroes

Jul. 30—Changemakers from across the U.S. to travel to Austin for a day of recognition

Hormel Foods Corporation has announced its third cohort of 10 Under 20 Food Heroes. Each of these young people, through their various charitable endeavors, has set out to make the world a better place by working to bring about a more transparent, secure and sustainable food system.

"Our 10 Under 20 Food Heroes continue to inspire us," said Jeff Baker, group vice president of Retail Marketing at Hormel Foods. "These young people aren't waiting for a better world to appear on its own. They're out there making it happen, and we are amazed at what they've already accomplished at such young ages. Their work has already had an impact on their local communities and the world at large, and it is our sincere honor to recognize their efforts to bring about positive and meaningful change."

To recognize and celebrate these young changemakers, Hormel will soon be hosting the group at its global headquarters in Austin. During their visit, honorees will have an opportunity to connect with and learn from Hormel Foods leaders and discuss opportunities to further scale the impact of their respective projects. In addition, the company will provide all 10 Under 20 Food Heroes with a financial grant to support their initiatives.

"It's one of our favorite days of the year," Baker said. "Meeting the Food Heroes and hearing more about their projects, and their personal stories, is always such an enlightening and inspiring experience for our entire team here at Hormel Foods. We are thrilled to be hosting yet another class of Food Heroes as we honor their incredible accomplishments."

2024 class of 10 Under 20 Food Heroes:

Aakash Suresh, 18, Miami, Florida

* Aakash serves as the vice chair and head of relations for the Junior Advisory Board of Joshua's Heart Foundation, a Miami-based nonprofit dedicated to ending world hunger, founded by 2020 Food Hero, Joshua Williams. Aakash has been pivotal in organizing food distributions that have provided over 5 million meals to families in need. He also extends his humanitarian efforts internationally in India, helping establish a development school for children with physical and cognitive challenges, demonstrating his commitment to global community service.

Bella Eberhart, 12, Wellington, Florida

* Bella has been giving back to her community since her first birthday; through "Parties with a Purpose," which are annual birthday celebrations benefitting local nonprofits. Over time, she took the lead on this now-annual tradition and expanded it to include her siblings and other holidays. Last year, Bella coordinated the first student-run community service club at her middle school, organizing a series of successful "serve together" opportunities. She led various initiatives including a school-based food drive, sorting non-perishable items at Palm Beach County Food Bank, gleaning fresh produce at a local farm with CROS Ministries, cooking for families at Quantum House and a food distribution day with Restoration Bridge International. Bella is currently in the process of founding "B3 Powerful," a nonprofit that will connect youth and families with service opportunities in their communities.

Colin Chu, 16, Palo Alto, California

* Inspired by seeing nutritious meals being discarded at his school, Colin founded Homeless Heroes, a youth-led nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about homelessness, increasing food sustainability and fostering an interconnected community. Colin strives to empower youth to engage in service work, inspiring the next generation to make a positive impact through meal packaging, food delivery and direct interaction with the unhoused. To date, the team at Homeless Heroes has donated over 7,000 meals monthly to shelters and schools nationwide, delivered over 135,000 meals and reached more than 3,500 unhoused individuals.

Elaina Johnson, 10, Broomfield, Colorado

* Elaina embodies compassion and generosity through dedicated efforts to combat hunger. The youngest winner in this year's Food Heroes class, Elaina teamed up with her grandmother to source and distribute food to those in need, starting with the unhoused in her hometown of Denver. Then, as the city recently began receiving 50 new refugees daily, Elaina organized an effort at her school to raise money and supplies in support of these newcomers. She spends her own allowance on essential supplies for newly arrived refugees.

Emma Falkenmeyer, 18, Sherrill, New York

* Emma established School Lunch Pals in 2023 to collect funds to eliminate student lunch debt at her high school, ensuring that no parent or student is made to shoulder this financial burden alone. Now, with her local district qualifying for the universal student breakfast and lunch program Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), Emma's organization provides funds for students who previously qualified for free or reduced lunch to buy

additional items not covered by CEP. Emma was recently honored with a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly for her impactful work.

Lauren Schroeder, 18, Dixon, Iowa

* While volunteering at a food shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic at age 14, Lauren noticed a lack of fresh vegetables in the donated groceries. A farm girl at heart, Lauren decided to address this gap with her own two hands, planting a half-acre of her family's farm with 15 different varieties of vegetables. In the past two years alone, she has donated over 7,000 pounds of homegrown produce to charitable causes. Lauren is aiming to bring that total to 20,000 pounds by the time she starts college in the fall of 2025.

Natalie Deitz, 13, Abingdon, Maryland

* After having to overcome food anxiety due to a birth defect and attending a six-week inpatient feeding clinic, Natalie has since developed a passion for helping critically ill children. As a member of the all-youth board of advisors for We Cancerve, a nonprofit organization founded by 2020 Food Hero Grace Callwood, Natalie is committed to helping kids who are fighting difficult situations, like she had to. Natalie has prepared and delivered supplemental food kits for 100 youth in her local school system. She also led a craft project for pediatric oncology patients with the Cool Kids Campaign, delivered toys to pediatric patients and organized a shopping spree for homeless children.

Samantha Sandhaus, 18, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

* Samantha is committed to ensuring better nutritional access for all. A recent high school graduate from Central High School, she founded Feeding Philly as a sophomore. Led by students, this nationally recognized nonprofit organization serves 2,000 families in North Philadelphia, engages over 4,500 student volunteers regionally and repurposes more than 2,500 pounds of food. Under her leadership, Feeding Philly has significantly expanded, leveraging mutual aid programs and educational workshops to combat food waste and food insecurity within Philadelphia's schools and communities.

Skai and Will Nzeuton, 18 and 16, New York City, New York

* Skai started the Food Security Club at Stuyvesant High School after witnessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has since expanded the impact of this club alongside his brother, Will. Together, their efforts led to an entirely new organization, Food for All NYC, which works to redistribute fresh foods from schools, grocery stores and delis to those in need across New York City. To date, Food for All NYC has rescued over 10,000 pounds of food, equating to 20,000 food items. The organization also has an app that connects local organizations to streamline food rescue operations.

Steven Hoffen, 16, New York City, New York

* Steven's mission to educate, empower and help those in need through the power of hydroponics resulted in the founding of his nonprofit, Growing Peace Inc., which helps marginalized communities gain access to healthy produce through hydroponic gardening. He witnessed this firsthand during a visit to Israel, where Arab and Jewish women collaborated on hydroponic gardening. Steven showcased the meaningful efforts of these women in his award-winning documentary film, "Growing Peace in the Middle East," which highlights the healing power of food, even in the face of cultural differences. Growing Peace has installed numerous hydroponic gardening systems in communities in need to help alleviate food insecurity in his local area, including the Edgecombe Residential Treatment Facility and the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center.

Ambassador

Shreyaa and Esha Venkat, 21 and 18, Ashburn, Virginia

Shreyaa and Esha are the founders of NEST4US, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to making the world a better place through kindness. NEST4US mobilizes volunteers worldwide to advance progress on societal issues and spark equitable solutions. Inspired by their childhood volunteer experiences with their family, Shreyaa and Esha started NEST4US to connect others with volunteer opportunities locally and globally. Under their leadership, NEST4US has mobilized over 7,500 volunteers, impacting communities in over 30 countries across six continents. Through one of their five programs, NEST Nurtures, they tackle global hunger, poverty and food waste through feeding initiatives, food rescues and hunger-based service projects.