Over the summer, two Redhawks expanded their knowledge and skills related to nonprofit culinary education during the first Real Futures program hosted by A Single Bite.

The program was built on the success of a Single Bite’s Real Food Education program, which has been helping educate students about the importance of healthy, locally grown food since 2019.

Liberty student AnnaMay Lopez and graduate Stefan Schloss were among the first class of six in the six-week program.

Students in the program are drawn from participating school districts—Liberty, Sullivan West and the newly merged Rockland central school district—who have displayed an interest in exploring food-centric career and college pathways.

Throughout the program, students worked in a number of departments: real food education; research, nonprofit administration and fundraising; warehouse real food logistics and distribution; and with the culinary program in the kitchen preparing food for community meal programs for food insecure families. Work also included “real food jobs” in restaurants and hospitality settings.

They developed workplace skills such as communication, teamwork, time management and responsibility. They participated in mentorship opportunities with professionals (e.g., chefs, hospitality leaders), and completed projects such as research, recipe/menu development, baking, warehouse management, writing articles, and contributing to local food programs.

“AnnaMay Lopez made a marvelous contribution during her six weeks with us,” Real Food Education Manager Liz Stretch said. “She consistently demonstrated commitment, creativity and a strong work ethic, and it was a genuine pleasure to have her on our team.”

The program made quite the impact on recent graduate Stefan Schloss. “This program was an incredible opportunity to explore my passion for food and community,” he said. “Every day offered a new challenge and a chance to learn skills I know I’ll carry forward in my career.”

Liberty Middle School has been working with A Single Bite to bring the message of healthy eating to students since the Real Food Program’s start.

“We know that working with young people can be both rewarding and challenging, but we want to share how much we value this partnership,” Stretch said in a letter to Liberty Middle School Principal Heather Cheh. “Liberty School is doing a wonderful job, and we are very appreciative of your school’s time and effort in supporting our Real Food Education Program.”

The Real Futures program serves as the next step beyond Real Food Education and Real Food Rewards—a new digital tool that helps students keep exploring real vs. processed food, local farms and healthy eating habits—putting classroom learning into action.