Grade 12 St. Michaels University School student Apollin Lu has already mobilized more than 140 young volunteers, recovered nearly 9,000 pounds of locally grown produce and helped provide fresh food to people experiencing food insecurity.
Her work has now earned international recognition. Apollin has been named one of 15 top winners of the 2026 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, an award celebrating young people who are making a significant positive impact on their communities and the environment.
Each year, the Barron Prize recognizes 25 young leaders from across North America, with its 15 top winners receiving $10,000 to support their service work or higher education.
For Apollin, the work began close to home. Growing up on her family’s garlic farm, she saw that surplus produce could be left to rot or return to the soil—even as people in her community struggled to access fresh food.
That disconnect led her to establish Food Recovery Alliance, an organization that rescues surplus produce from farms and redistributes it to shelters and community organizations.
Over the past three years, Apollin and her team have partnered with 12 farms across Greater Victoria and Vancouver. Together, they have harvested and donated produce valued at more than $32,000, nearly all of it organically grown.
Building those relationships required Apollin to help farmers see a practical alternative for their surplus crops. Her team created an invoicing app that allows participating farmers to receive a tax receipt as soon as food is donated, making the process easier and more efficient.
The initiative has continued to grow. Food Recovery Alliance now operates a community garden where younger students learn about sustainable farming while growing fresh produce for donation. Apollin has also partnered with a food distribution project in downtown Vancouver and launched a program that uses recovered produce to prepare meals for a women’s shelter.
She is now working to create a model that other young people can replicate in their own communities. Her team is also developing an app that will connect farmers, volunteers and distribution partners in real time, supporting an ambitious long-term goal of recovering one million pounds of food.
Through the experience, Apollin has discovered that leadership is not always about one defining moment. Often, it is built through consistency, persistence and a willingness to keep showing up.
“I’ve learned that showing up with the same energy every single time, even when it’s hard, is itself a form of leadership,” she said. “And I’ve learned that when young people show up, they can build something that matters.”
Founded by author T.A. Barron, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes has recognized more than 650 young people since 2001. The award aims to share their stories and inspire others to make a difference.
“Nothing is more inspiring than stories about heroic people who have truly made a difference to the world,” Barron says. “We need our heroes today more than ever—not celebrities, but heroes: people whose character can inspire us all.”
For Apollin, the recognition marks another milestone in a project that began with a simple question and has grown into a youth-led effort connecting farms, volunteers and community organizations around a shared purpose: ensuring that good food reaches the people who need it.
Apollin Lu in the News:
- CBC Radio: Victoria teen recognized for food recovery work
- Times of India: Meet Apollin Lu, the 17-year-old British Columbia student who mobilised 140+ volunteers to rescue nearly 9,000 pounds of farm produce
- Barchart.com: Young Heroes Offer Inspiration and Great Hope — Barron Prize Announces 2026 Winners
- Sakshi Education: Gloria Barron Prize 2026 Winners Announced: Check Full List
- Saanich News: Saanich student leads 12 Greater Victoria, Vancouver farms in food recovery
