Iowa teen grew 7,000 pounds of veggies, then gave them all away
‘I’m hoping to expand the garden to two acres so we can feed even more people,’ said Lauren Schroeder, 17
By Cathy Free
Washington Post
November 14, 2023
Excerpt:
Lauren Schroeder was volunteering at a community food nonprofit when she was 14. As she filled bags with donated groceries, she noticed something that didn’t seem right:
There were plenty of canned and boxed goods, but she didn’t see anything fresh or green to give to families in need.
“I thought it would be great to change that,” said Lauren, now 17. “I wanted people to get the nutrition they needed from fresh vegetables.”
She told her parents that she wanted to start a garden on some of their farm acreage in Dixon, Iowa, so she could supply families with homegrown produce. She wanted to plant lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and zucchini.
The Schroeders plant soybeans and corn every year on their 150-acre farm, and Lauren knew there was room to plant other vegetables. Her mother was proud Lauren came up with the idea, she said, and wanted to support her.
“But I also had a little bit of the devil’s advocate on my shoulder, wondering, ‘Oh my gosh, how much work is this going to be?’” said Katie Schroeder, 44.
Plenty, in fact. But Schroeder soon learned that her daughter was up for it.
