“Holy Basil” was the name of the product that 11-year-old Ethan was pitching to his fifth-grade classmates with the slogan, “After every bite, you feel like you’re in heaven.” Following his pitch, Ethan handed out business cards, complete with a handmade logo, then watched as classmate Abdul presented his business, D7, and an array of fresh vegetables with the catchphrase, “Eat right, live right.” After each presentation, the students congratulated each other and talked about ways they could sell the greens and vegetables they were growing at their hydroponics farm at the Vernon Hill School in Worcester.
“The kids are always eager to show their stuff and compete,” says Charles Luster, who runs the after-school program as executive director of 2Gether We Eat, teaching the clean, organic hydroponic method of growing plants in nutrient-rich water solutions rather than soil.
“I’ll put pictures or videos of what they’re doing on social media and say, ‘Look, my Worcester class just got 1500 views, and then all the other classes want to beat that number,” he says.
As a former college basketball coach and Marine recruiter, Charles has countless ways to keep kids inspired. “I use no pencils or paper,” he explains, “and if someone doesn’t know the answer to a question in class, everybody else chimes in with the answer because there’s never a reason to hide answers.”
Recently, two new ESL students joined the class, and Charles challenged his students to take turns leading class in Arabic or Portuguese so the new members would feel welcome. “They were actually fighting over who got to go learn enough of these languages to lead the class,” Charles says with a smile. “I always tell them teamwork makes the dream work, you know.”
Charles challenges himself plenty, too. “When something’s uncomfortable, you know you’re learning,” he says. The start of 2gether We Eat came in 2020 after he decided not to pursue a cannabis business with two friends. “But thinking about how we were planning to grow cannabis made me realize we could grow food in the same way and use it to help kids and the community,” he says, crediting his “little brother from another mother,” Soloe, and longtime “big brother, mentor, friend, uncle, and family member” Carl Paisley, who died in 2023, with helping bring his vision to life.
“Carl and my good friend Linda Cavalli, who had just retired from the YWCA, joined me for our first board meeting—on an iPhone in my backyard during Covid,” he says. “Now, this month, we’re celebrating our fifth anniversary!”
When you’re trying to get a nonprofit up and running, there are almost no better words to hear than, “I believe in your mission and I’d like to write a grant for you.” That magical phrase was uttered by Debbi Lane of Magic Lamp Consulting after 2Gether We Eat won the first cohort of the Greater Worcester EforAll entrepreneurs’ pitch contest in 2020. “I call Debbie my Agent of Change,” Charles says. “She was in the second cohort, and when she heard about us, she wrote a grant proposal pro bono for me that led to us having two Freight Farms and an electric cargo van. We’ve put 13,370 miles on that van so far without a single gas purchase!”
The climate-controlled Freight Farms are metal cargo containers from a Boston company and Worcester-based founder whose business was shutting down. “They allow us to grow up to 10,000 plants at one time,” Charles says. “It’s just amazing to see the kids learn how to plant and germinate the seeds, then watch them grow under LED lights in the freight farm. You never know who could be the next George Washington Carver right here!”
Charles signed an MOU with Worcester Public Schools to run the first Freight Farm at Vernon Hill Elementary School, where Principal Craig Dalton was an old basketball friend. “I pitched Craig my idea about hydroponics and said, ‘You give us electrical power, and we’ll give you food and educational programs.’”
Now, 2Gether We Eat is running programs in eight locations, including after-school sessions at Vernon Hill, Elm Park, and Seven Hills School, as well as programs at the Leominster and Worcester Senior Centers, Webster Square Day Care Center, African Community Education (ACE), and BAMSI’s Brain Injury Community Center. With approximately 125 participants, the youngest farmers are four years old, and the oldest are in their 90s. Charles has recently been able to purchase hydroponic systems for all the participants to take home so that they can grow green, leafy vegetables right on their countertop.
“One out of seven kids go to bed hungry,” he comments. “But if they can grow their own vegetables and find a little protein, they can take care of themselves. At Vernon Hill, we’re adding a pantry, so a kid can grab some canned tuna and some plants and make a meal.”
Another recent development is a partnership to grow food for the community with UMass Chan Medical School, which purchased a Freight Farm and hired a young hydroponic farmer named Josh Lighten. “Josh is so excited now that he’s got his UMass ID badge,” Charles says. “He was at the Creamer Center alternative school and none of his teachers knew what would happen with him. I was able to intercept with the help of his teacher, Ms. Brennan, who happens to be my next-door neighbor and a fellow plant lover. Now he’s a full-time college student and I’ve trained him in hydroponics. And though he started out interested in biology, he’s decided to major in broadcasting and communications because he’s found his voice teaching others about hydroponics and food justice.”
“Seeing his growth is so rewarding,” Charles continues. “He leads intergenerational exchanges with the kids and seniors, letting the older participants ask him fun trivia questions and encouraging the little ones to talk about their dreams and choices in life. In the end, plants and people are the same— we always need to keep growing.”
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If you would like to learn more about youth hydroponic farming in Greater Worcester, please contact Charles Luster at 508-450-9268 or charlesluster@2getherweeat.org, or use the website contact page.