Lowell Elementary School third grader Naomi Ward is receiving regional recognition for her effort to fight food insecurity.

As a first grader, Naomi was struck by how much food was thrown away at lunch. That began a multi-year effort to launch a schoolwide effort, now known as Lowell Food for All, to support the Watertown Community Fridge.

Naomi and her family used a Go Fund Me page to raise money to purchase a refrigerator for the Lowell cafeteria, where students and staff can place unopened food items. The food is then taken to the Watertown Community Fridge, where it helps people in need of food assistance.

The fridge cost a little over $2,000 and funding was secured in only four days.

The plan required coordination between Naomi, her family, school officials, the WPS food services department, and various state and local officials, including the Watertown Board of Health, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and State Senator William Brownsberger. 

Naomi’s efforts have now garnered media attention from multiple news outlets.

“I saw all the food that had been thrown away because we were just eating in our classroom. And my mom was taking me to the Community Fridge … because our family puts stuff in there every once in a while,” Naomi told Watertown News. “I was seeing all the food that was being taken (from the fridge), and then I sort of combined them in my head. And thought about how the food was food that the school was already buying — it wouldn’t be making them pay more money.”

WBZ News also sent a reporter to the Lowell school to interview Naomi and her mom about the community fridge. 

”She’s the powerhouse behind it all,” said Erin Ward, Naomi’s mom. “We are so proud of Naomi...Her persistence is amazing. We couldn’t have accomplished this without her persistent spirit.”

Photo credit: Charlie Breitrose, Watertown News