Junior Kernel Eric Ng is Fighting Hunger
The Plano Senior High student is spending his summer volunteering at the North Texas Food Bank.
Eric Ng is never bored when he’s at the North Texas Food Bank.
The Junior Kernel, which requires 64 hours of services at NTFB, volunteers up to three times a week during the summer, including at Kids Camp, where he helps teach 8 to 11-year-olds about hunger in their community.
“There is never a dull moment,” says Eric, a rising senior at Plano Senior High School.
Eric first volunteered at the North Texas Food Bank alongside his mom in 2021 and he’s since become a regular in the warehouse, volunteering once a week during the school year and regularly each summer. This is his second summer as a Junior Kernel.
“It feels good doing something for the community and I personally appreciate how active the shifts are,” he says.
Eric says Kids Camp was his first time working with youth. Whether planting outside in Jan’s Garden or leading kids through a can sorting activity, Eric says it’s a fun learning experience for all involved.
When not working Kids Camp, Eric and the other Junior Kernels help in the NTFB Perot Family Campus warehouse. Eric says he enjoys getting to know the other Junior Kernels and that he’s also learned about how big of an issue food insecurity is in North Texas, even in Plano where it might not be evident in every neighborhood.
“It’s really opened my eyes to how big a problem food insecurity is,” he says. “The more I volunteer, the more I see how much is necessary to combat (food insecurity) and how big of a problem it is, even in a relatively good community like Plano.”
Texas now ranks No. 1 in the nation for the number of people who are food-insecure and in the 13 counties served by the North Texas Food Bank, nearly 778,000 people face hunger. In Collin County, which includes Plano, 12% of the population (nearly 131,000 neighbors) experience hunger.
In addition to volunteering, Eric is spending his summer preparing to apply for college (where he’d like to study mechanical engineering) and training for track and field.
Thanks to Eric and all of our Junior Kernels for their dedication to fighting hunger.