SOCIAL SCIENCE: Sydney Lambert
Senior and Social Science Silver Knight nominee Sydney Lambert’s dedication to battling food insecurity comes from her deep concern for the issue of food deserts. These areas, where access to nutritious food is severely limited, inspired Lambert to take action after learning about their widespread impact on Miami-Dade County residents. Determined to make a difference, Lambert joined an organization called Buddy System MIA. Buddy System MIA opened community fridges across Miami during the pandemic, and Lambert began a program that contributed meals to these existing fridges. This program is called Fill The Fridges, a project rooted in her synagogue’s mission to support local communities.
Fill The Fridges focuses on addressing food insecurity in some of Miami’s largest food deserts by organizing families to prepare and deliver homemade meals to community fridges supplied by Buddy System MIA. The initiative aims to provide at least 50 meals each week, creating a reliable resource for those in need. To ensure sustainability and maximize impact, Lambert actively collaborates with volunteers to raise awareness and work to secure funding and donations to keep the fridges stocked with healthy meals.
Inspired by the lessons she learned in her AP Environmental Science and Human Geography classes, Lambert began planning the project during the summer before her junior year. Her academic interests, combined with a passion for community service fueled her vision to bridge gaps in food accessibility while promoting environmental sustainability. Lambert’s project not only feeds families but also inspires others to take meaningful steps toward combating systemic issues in their communities.
“Freshman year taking human geography, we learned a lot about food deserts and food insecurity as a whole, and that kind of struck a chord in me. I thought that was definitely something that a lot of people in a big city like Miami experienced,” Lambert said. “I wanted to help execute a plan to help combat it, and I’ve actually been passionate about it because it helps to eliminate food waste at the same time, so we put both of those together.”
Lambert has worked tirelessly since beginning to work with Fill The Fridges and Buddy System MIA, dedicating time and effort to ensuring the program’s success and sustainability. Her commitment has significantly impacted the initiative’s reach and has made a difference in the lives of both food recipients and volunteers. She takes pride in the direct impact the program has had, not only by helping eliminate food insecurity but also by fostering a sense of community and purpose among those involved.
Since Lambert started working with Buddy System MIA, Fill The Fridges has successfully delivered meals to community fridges in multiple underserved areas, including Overtown, Little Haiti, Coconut Grove, Hialeah, Liberty City and Miami Beach. Each fridge serves as a resource for residents in these neighborhoods, offering consistent access to fresh meals. The program’s success is mainly due to Lambert’s hard work, and the collective efforts of the volunteers and supporters who share her passion for creating a healthier community.
“Buddy System MIA opened the fridges on their own, and then we became a program where people from my temple could make meals to deliver to those existing fridges,” Lambert said.
Lambert has faced minimal issues with programming, but with the help of other volunteers, she pushed through those obstacles.
“There weren’t any direct obstacles, but one thing that we struggled with was getting participants to actually commit to it. I’ve had to work a lot with marketing and making our Instagram successful, and doing things like that together with other volunteers,” Lambert said.
Lambert expresses that the Social Science category of Silver Knight ties into her love of history and her service project’s direct ties with social science issues such as food insecurity. She has exposed herself to many social science skills, such as taking plenty of AP history courses throughout high school. Lambert also serves as president of Tutoring For Tomorrow and president of Palmetto’s Class of 2025. She is also a member of the Health Information Project.
“Food recipients are always so thankful for what we bring to them, and I hope to see more of that even after I leave for college. I applied for Silver Knight because it gives the project more recognition, which I thought was important. It exposes people to it, and makes them more aware of what is going on in our community,” Lambert said.
SPEECH: Scott Gould
Similar to Lambert, senior and Speech Silver Knight nominee Scott Gould also understands the major issue of food insecurity in Miami-Dade County. 10.4% of people in Dade County deal with food insecurity. This number has only increased in recent years with the rise in the cost of groceries due to inflation.
So, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Gould decided to try and do something about it. Alongside his sister, he started “The Bake Sale 305,” a project that would sell and ship cookies to people across Miami with the proceeds of these sales going to local groups that are fighting food insecurity.
“What I do is bake cookies and all the funds from those sales go to organizations such as Health in the Hood and Food Rescue Miami,” Gould said. “These organizations have made a huge impact, and through the bake sale, I’ve raised enough money to donate over 1000 meals to people who are hungry.”
The organizations that Gould’s proceeds go to help in the fight against food insecurity in South Florida. The organizations with the money are going to have real track records of helping people in the community. Food Rescue Miami for example has provided over 10 million meals since 2018.
Gould’s inclusion in the Speech category of Silver Knight fits right in line with his experience at MPSH. Not only does Bake Sale 305 use Instagram to gain customers and sales, but Gould has spent his time at MPSH in a variety of leadership positions at the school.
“Speech is more like a leadership position. Ms. Spivak saw that my student council president and VP of HIP, and all of the work I do through HIP would be enough for that category,” Gould said.
Gould’s project perfectly ties in with his focus at MPSH and his experience in leadership roles. His project has fed hundreds of people in Miami who have found themselves in need of a helping hand and a good meal to eat.
