The Growing Peace Project is an educational nonprofit started in 2010 as a peacemaking, social justice, and youth activism initiative. We formed out of a deep desire to bring young people together to work on issues of peace, justice, empowerment, and equity. At the heart of what we do is the belief that humans are more alike than different, that we all strive for respect and understanding, and that social change can only be achieved through open-hearted dialogue and collaboration. Alongside our national scope is the peacemaking and hunger work we do here in Vermont. We created a Food For Thought program that revolves around the central question, “Can there be peace in the world if people are hungry?” Our primary goals are to raise awareness about food insecurity, to feed and empower our hungry neighbors, and to build community through shared work and collaboration. Our local efforts include a half acre free food teaching garden and orchard, gleaning and plant-a-row pickups, cultivation workshops, a family cooking series with garden produce as the basis for affordable healthy meals, and more. Everything we do is viewed through the lens of community, cooperation, and social change.