Central New York Teen Crowned One of Hormel Foods’ 2024 Food Heroes

A Central New York teen's dream to wipe out student lunch debt has earned her recognition on a national scale.

Hormel Foods has named Emma Falkenmeyer, a recent graduate of Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School, one if its 10 Under 20 Food Heroes of 2024.

Falkenmeyer, 18, created the initiative School Lunch Pals in her junior year to pay off her school system's student meal debt.

Read More: CNY Teen Launches Ambitious Fundraiser to End Student Lunch Debt

According to the Sherill-native's initiative, roughly 17% of Oneida County Children are food insecure, which is 0.5% higher than the national average.

The program actively raised funds from the community to pay off any debts owed to the VVS Food Services Department. By May 2024, School Lunch Pals raised over $7,000 during its second year and the money helped clear the debt of more than 3,100 lunches.

A month later, Falkenmeyer learned she would be awarded the Oneida County Youth Bureau Exceptional Youth Leadership Award.

The award was given to her based on her positive leadership, which inspired her school and community to help those in need.

And, just recently, she was honored with a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly.

She now heads to Northeastern University... but not before picking up her biggest award yet.

Hormel Foods, the parent company of famous names like Planters and Spam, recognized all the good work Falkenmeyer has done to improve her school district and named her one of their "heroes".

As a named Food Hero, Falkenmeyer will travel to Hormel's global headquarters to speak with some of the most powerful people in the food industry. She will also receive a financial grant to further support her initiatives.

Said Hormel Foods in a release about Falkenmeyer's extensive service to her community:

Emma established School Lunch Pals in 2023 to collect funds to eliminate student lunch debt at her high school, ensuring that no parent or student is made to shoulder this financial burden alone. Now, with her local district qualifying for the universal student breakfast and lunch program Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), Emma’s organization provides funds for students who previously qualified for free or reduced lunch to buy additional items not covered by CEP.

Falkenmeyer was honored last year by the food brand as one of its "rising stars" after "raising over $9,000" in 2023.

The industry giant said of her then, "In addition to helping students in her own school, she is expanding her efforts to local churches and other organizations to raise awareness and support for her mission."

This year, she is just one of four New York teens that were nationally honored, which is an incredible showing for the Empire State.

She is joined by Skai and Will Nzeuton, who are respectively 18 and 16-years-old. The pair are from New York City and are behind Food for All NYC, which they started after witnessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"To date, Food for All NYC has rescued over 10,000 pounds of food, equating to 20,000 food items. The organization also has an app that connects local organizations to streamline food rescue operations," the release said.

The other honoree was Steven Hoffen, 16, of New York City. He "was inspired to take action after visiting Israel, where Arab and Jewish women collaborated in hydroponic gardening to create peace." He created Growing Peace Inc. in 2021 and it has grown to now serve "over 33,500 yearly servings of fresh produce to communities in need."

Congratulations to all, and especially a massive congratulations to Falkenmeyer for being such a shining example of good will and leadership for Central New York!

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