Lewiston-Youth Food Champion Award Winners & Award Presentation

Youth Food Champion Award Winners & Award Presentation

LEWISTON/AUBURN – On January 15th the Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn (GFCLA) was honored to award the 2023 ‘Youth Food Champion Award’ winners at the Bates College MLK Day workshop “Young Mainers’ Efforts for Food and Climate Justice.” The event also included a talk on Food Sovereignty and Youth Activism from Scarlet Labbé-Watson from Maine Youth for Climate Justice.

The Youth Food Champion Awards are hosted annually by the GFCLA to celebrate the unique contributions of up to five individuals or groups from the greater Lewiston-Auburn area who ‘lead by example’ within one, or more, of the five principles of the LA Community Food Charter to create a more vibrant and healthy local food system from farm-to-fork. In 2023, the Awards—sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank, Double Z Land & Livestock, St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, and Austin Associates —honor and celebrate five individual youth and youth groups, ages 11-25, in Androscoggin County. Winners were selected from among nominations made by the public on the GFCLA website this spring. The following are the 2023 ‘Youth Food Champion Award winners:

• Houda Aden (Lewiston)
  • Houda is a teenage Lewiston resident attending Edward Little High School in Auburn. As part of St. Mary’s Nutrition Center’s Fall Gardener Program, Houda worked in the community gardens at both the Nutrition Center and at Hillview, which is part of Lewiston Public Housing in Lewiston. Houda hopes to put the knowledge she gained from this work toward an education in biology.
• Odivio Mariano (Lewiston)
  • Odivio is a 20-year-old Lewiston resident. He has also been a participant in St. Mary’s Nutrition Center’s youth programs for several years, most recently as Team Leader for a new program collaboration called Gateway to Opportunity. Working with 14 and 15-year-olds, Odivio helped introduce young people to gardening, cultivating the land, local food systems and nourishing meals by working with them in the gardens and in the kitchen and empowering them to expand their skills and curiosity in these areas.
• Isha Kasai (Lewiston)
  • Isha is a Lewiston resident and the Youth Program Coordinator for the Somali Bantu Community Association. Taking on many different roles in SBCA including a contributor to projects at Liberation Farms, her primary role is designing and implementing programming for children and teens. This summer, she worked with teen leaders and dozens of children to create different recipes every week, which enabled them to grow their cooking skills and try new foods. Since August, she has been facilitating the program Oh Yea! 4-H Grows True Leaders, which helps youth learn about their local food system and support farm-to-table efforts.
• Brayden Nadeau (Auburn)
  • Brayden is a 13-year-old Auburn resident, who, several years ago, began farming his grandfather’s land—both growing food and taking care of livestock—and operating his own vegetable stand. He has been featured in the Washington Post, the Sun Journal, and Scholastic News and has received additional national attention for the work he does at such a young age providing food to his community and his neighbors’ enthusiastic responses and support through good times and tough times.

In addition to a physical award, each winner received a $100 Buoy Local Card from Bangor Savings Bank, a $50 Gift Card to OTTO Pizza Auburn, and movie passes to Flagship Cinemas.

The LA Community Food Charter was launched in 2016 as a way to highlight the community’s food values, build greater awareness and support for a more vibrant local food system, as well as provide a framework for discussion by community members and policymakers. The LA Food Charter was the first of its kind in the State of Maine, and since its creation, two additional Maine communities have created their own:  Western Foothills Community Food Charter and Knox County Food Charter. The cities of Auburn and Lewiston have endorsed the LA Food Charter, as have over 300 individuals, businesses, and organizations.  Anyone interested is encouraged to sign the LA Food Charter on the GFCLA website to demonstrate their own support for, and commitment to, a healthy and sustainable local food system from farm-to-fork.