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Spokane County commissioners hear 4‑H teens’ pitch to fight campus food insecurity with microgreens kits
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Summary
A Spokane County 4‑H youth team presented 'Leaf It Up,' a teen‑led microgreens kit program placed in college food pantries; presenters said kits cost about $1.94 to produce, have rapid harvest cycles, and produced positive survey responses from students.
Jennifer Fees, a senior 4‑H educator for Spokane County, introduced a team of teen presenters who described a youth‑led program that places low‑cost microgreens kits into college food pantries to help students facing food insecurity.
"We believe young people don't have to wait to create change," Parker, one of the teen presenters, said as the students outlined program goals and outcomes. Presenters told the board that roughly 44% of Washington college students report food insecurity and that microgreens can be grown in 7–10 days with minimal space and equipment — attributes that make the kits practical for dorms and small apartments. The youth team reported they cut kit production costs to about $1.94 each through bulk purchases and volunteer assembly and that they assembled hundreds of kits at a recent state conference.
The students said surveys of kit recipients showed strong engagement, reported improvements in confidence and food preparation, and indicated students are using the microgreens in everyday meals. The board congratulated the students on national recognition the program received at a Washington, D.C. competition and suggested staff connect the team with other county youth programs for wider reach.
No formal county funding request was made at the April 14 presentation; staff encouraged the group to meet with local youth boards and community partners to explore scaling opportunities.
