National Honoree

Austen Pearce, 12, of Maricopa, Ariz., a seventh-grader at Desert Wind Middle School, initiated a community garden that yielded more than 7,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit last spring and summer for 85 needy families in his community, which was hit hard by home foreclosures and unemployment during the recent recession. Austen was volunteering at a local food bank when he read a gardening book that mentioned community flower gardens. "I was inspired to take that concept and extend it to something that could physically help people in need," he explained. "I wanted people to know that they were cared about and could be helped by members of their own town."

Austen presented his idea for a community fruit and vegetable garden to his town's mayor and the director of the food bank, and then worked with the Maricopa Christian Alliance and a master gardener to get the project underway. Serving as an assistant master gardener, Austen planted crops, pulled weeds, and worked with other volunteers to harvest and transport the ripe produce to the food bank each week, where he weighed and sorted everything into containers. Then, every Monday, Austen spent several hours handing out the fresh produce to families in need. "To see the appreciation of all of the families as they received the produce was overwhelming," he said. "What a wonderful feeling it is to help other people."