“My favorite part about my job is helping young people to find what they are good at and to work along with us to help reduce hunger in our area,” he says. He tells of one teenager who blossomed during a summer of volunteering. The young man became serious about finding solutions to hunger. In the process, his confidence grew. He is now planning to attend college, Mr. Walsh says. The pantry is named after a biblical person, Martha, who welcomed people. Mr. Walsh says he tries to make it a welcoming place for both shoppers and volunteers. “We try to see it as a place to come and experience the beauty inside each other,” he says. He likes to help people “to understand one another and get along and be effective.” Mr. Walsh has started a new project to create a community council made up of people who shop at the market. “We have to constantly listen and understand the needs of our community,” he says. Mr. Walsh says he is an optimist, even though he deals with a tough challenge. He wants kids to know that “hunger is a large problem, but it is a solvable problem.” —By Healthy Panther staff Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy 23 Illustration by Logan Laws-Taylor, Eisenhower Healthy Panther Some ways to fight hunger •  Volunteer at a food pantry or donate items. •  Give away extra fruit and vegetables from your garden. •  Read about the problem of hunger to figure out how you can help. •  Don’t waste food. Source: Patrick Walsh