Pleasantville Volunteer Wins Youth Leader Award from Volunteer New York!

As a middle school student in Pleasantville, Devin Juros was confronted with the complex issues of poverty and hunger and the dilemma that they exist amidst the affluence of Westchester County. Astonished by this issue, Juros began thinking of ways to do something to alleviate the problem. Recognizing early on that generally food pantries don’t get much fresh produce due to the short shelf life, he pitched an idea for a community garden to this parents. With support from his parents, Devin began gathering a team of consultants ranging from landscape architects to contractors and gardeners. St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville graciously donated 600-square foot plot of land on their grounds and offered to supply the water to nourish the garden thus marking the creation of the Pleasantville Community Garden. Today, the garden is busy from late March through early October with tomatoes, squash, peppers and green beans. The produce is given to Hillside Food Outreach that distributes the vegetables to food pantries across Westchester.

Devin Juros’s passion and commitment to the alleviation of hunger in his community is being honored at Volunteer New York!’s 37th Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards breakfast benefit. The event will take place Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY from 8-10:00am.

Buy a ticket to this event to show your support for these teen volunteers!

Event registration and sponsorship opportunities are now available online through www.volunteernewyork.org/awards. For specific inquiries related to the 2017 Volunteer Spirit Awards, please contact allison@volunteernewyork.org or call 914-227-9307.