What Nichole Dube and our Access to Fresh team are building through My Power Pack: Powered by Produce. Picked by You. is something truly special.
By giving every child the opportunity to shop for their own fruits and vegetables, Nichole has created an experience that transforms access into empowerment—instilling responsibility, dignity, and pride that reach far beyond the walls of the Boys & Girls Club in Dade City.
Through My Power Pack, each child receives produce dollars to spend on the Bounty Bus, choosing their own fruits and veggies while learning what it means for food to be in season.
This time, the spotlight was on strawberries—picked that very morning from a farm just 20 miles away. When the kids tasted them, they instantly noticed the difference. “They taste sweeter!” one of them exclaimed, their faces lighting up as they connected taste to freshness.
Then came the hands-on part. With Farmer Lundyn guiding the group, the kids helped set up their Tower Garden, planting seedlings that they’ll nurture and watch grow in the weeks ahead. As they dug in, asked questions, and named their little plants, curiosity turned into ownership—and that’s exactly where lifelong learning begins.
What makes this program so powerful is that it goes beyond produce. It teaches kids why food matters, helps them connect the dots between farms and families, and builds the confidence that comes from making their own healthy choices.
We’re deeply grateful to Senior Club Director Eunique Byrd and our partners at AdventHealth West Florida for making this possible—and for believing, like we do, that the path to better health begins with fresh food, community, and care.
At Access to Fresh, we’ll keep showing up, listening, learning, and growing alongside the communities we serve. Because the lessons we’re planting—about food, health, and hope—are already taking root, one strawberry, one seedling, and one smile at a time.
