An avid student, outgoing New Albany Middle School eighth grader Sophia Allen keeps her schedule full – serving as a member of student council, Chess Club, Gifted Girls Group and as president of her school’s National Junior Honor Society. But upon identifying an important need in her community, she knew she needed to add another initiative to her plate.
After learning some of her peers struggle silently with food insecurity outside of school, Allen founded the Fighting Hunger Club, a student-led organization focused on providing weekend meals for students, raising awareness about food insecurity and reducing surrounding stigma.
“When most people think of New Albany, they think of the wealthy golf course areas… but there is a true need,” Allen says. “If you were to take all our food insecure students to the McCoy Center for the Arts, about two-thirds of those seats could be filled up.”
Turning awareness into action
Sophia Allen
Allen was first inspired to create the Fighting Hunger Club (FHC) in seventh grade, when one of her teachers introduced the Turkey Challenge – a fundraising competition for the New Albany Food Pantry that helps purchase Thanksgiving meals for families in need. In 2024, Allen and her sister raised $800 for the challenge, then increased that amount to $5,000 the following year, motivating her to expand the effort in her own way.
“I was really grateful to have that opportunity and make a difference in the community,” she says. “It really showed that small actions like going around, knocking on doors and presenting information can make a big difference.”
From there, she worked to get the idea for the club approved by the school thoughtfully choosing advisors and mapping out logistics such as meeting times and agendas. She proposed a partnership with an already-established weekend program run through Rose Run Presbyterian Church, extending its reach beyond the kindergarten and intermediate levels and into the middle school. By the start of her eighth-grade year, the club was up and running.
So far, the FHC has held two food drives and worked with Rose Run Presbyterian Church several times to pack food bags. Each bag contains two breakfasts, two lunches, two snacks and three dinners each – enough for an entire weekend. They then get transported from the church to the school each Friday and placed in a private area for students to grab as needed.
“Everyone leaves the room and only the kids know where the room is, so they can go pick it up and put it in their backpack,” explains Allen. “Our biggest word is confidentiality, so it can keep the stigma of being food insecure to a minimum… I want to make sure kids aren’t ashamed to get help.”
The club meets bi-weekly to curate informative posters and schoolwide announcements to spread awareness, as well as offers service hour opportunities to students. Fostering a deeper understanding of the club’s mission from within, Allen says she’s also organized a field trip for FHC members to visit the New Albany Food Pantry.
Sophia Allen
Inspiring change
Sophia Allen
Allen and her sister raise money for the Turkey Challenge.
While inspired by other programs, Allen says FHC is unique in its dedication to helping anyone in need – not just those eligible for support at the food pantry.
“People deserve help regardless of income. When people apply for this program, we don’t ask them anything,” Allen says. “The only thing that matters to us is their current situation.”
As she enters high school this August, Allen hopes to continue making an impact in the community, bringing FHC and the Turkey Drive along with her in collaboration with the high school’s Feed the Need Club, making food drives more interactive and passing the middle school club onto a passionate and responsible successor.
Though she’s just getting started, Allen says FHC has already taught her valuable lessons – ones she wants to relay to other young people seeking to make a difference.
“Kids can be really creative and observant, they’ve got less things on their mind, can see issues adults might miss and have more time to make an impact,” she says. “Your age doesn’t matter. Anyone who wants to make a difference can. Find a problem and take the initiative, because saying, ‘Yes’ can change people’s lives.”
Ella Jay is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.
