Athens High students aim to fight food insecurity

TROY — Two local students have been raising funds for Gleaners Food Bank by selling affordably priced meal boxes to members of the Troy community.

Vrinda Boopalam and Praseeda Chellemella, both sophomores at Athens High in Troy, came up with the idea as part of a project with HOSA, a global organization that supports students interested in real-world health professions. The meal boxes they devised include a starter dish, main course dish and a dessert, all for $10 per box.

“Our goal was to just send this out everywhere and see if people wanted to buy it,” Boopalam said, noting their original target was 25 boxes, which would raise $250, but then they sold 60, raising $600.

School officials say that HOSA engages students with projects, competitions and volunteer opportunities that help position them as future health care professionals.

“This was part of their HOSA community awareness event, which helped spread awareness about one of the many factors of societal health,” said Rachel Peterson and Elizabeth Denyes, teachers in the Troy Schools that serve as HOSA advisors, in a joint statement.

Boopalam said that she always had an interest in biology, “especially in the medical field … so I thought this would just be a good fit for me.”

Each of the boxes were delivered March 7. Boopalam and her parents helped make, pack and deliver the meal boxes to friends and family who ordered them.

“We made some Indian food,” Boopalam said. “We made samosa, rice, and then we also had dessert, cupcakes and cookies.”

The proceeds were then donated to Gleaners Food Bank.

“Our topic is nutritional awareness,” Boopalam said. “So, we held a food drive based on healthy food and donated that, and then we did this fundraiser, which we donated to a food bank.”

For more information, visit michiganhosa.org or troy.k12.mi.us.