At 17, Jiya Patel is turning food waste into hope, helping communities fight hunger one donation at a time.
At just 17, Jiya Patel is already making an impact far beyond her school in Columbus, Georgia. What began as a personal response to something she witnessed during a family trip to India has now grown into a nationwide network with around 1,200 members across 40 student-led chapters. Together, the chapters have facilitated donations of more than $100,000 worth of food from restaurants and bakeries to shelters and food banks. But a visit to India with her parents in 2023 changed the way she thought about hunger. That realisation led Jiya to co-found Thrive2Gethr in 2023. “I would make a list of 100 businesses and struggle to find any partners. She estimates that she spends around 30 hours each month volunteering. She points to the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996, a federal law that provides certain protections for people who donate food in good faith.
Jiya is the co-founder of Thrive2Gethr, a student-led initiative that tackles two major issues at once: food waste and food insecurity, according to Points of Light. It stuck with me, and I started thinking a lot about hunger,” Jiya said. “I’d keep following up with the ones that were leaning towards maybe,” she said. “I want to keep expanding, but I want to ensure each of our chapters is still getting the support they need,” she said, stressing the importance of finding a balance between growth and maintaining the organisation’s existing network. The impact of the initiative, Jiya says, is not measured only in the amount of food redistributed. “Giving so much food to people who need it has been rewarding to see,” she said. “I’ve also enjoyed watching students help people in their communities and be invested in it the same way I am,” she said. “It’s a lot easier to make change when you work together,” she said, pointing to the partnerships between students, restaurants and shelters. “You have to push forward and hope that someone will end up saying yes,” she said. It doesn’t have to be big,” she said. “You don’t have to be a full-grown adult to start making change,” she said.
A rising senior, Jiya balances academics with the school golf team, Honor Council and Student Live Committee, where she helps organise events such as prom and pep rallies. But her biggest contribution extends beyond the school campus. Jiya’s interest in volunteering began at her local temple, where she helped serve food and took part in gardening, cleaning and other activities. “I went to India with my parents and saw a lot of families without food and necessary resources. She soon began looking into food waste in the United States and came across videos showing perfectly edible food being discarded. “I realized that food waste and people facing food insecurity could be connected to address both problems. The food already existed; it just wasn’t getting to people who needed it,” she explained. Getting the initiative off the ground was far from easy. In the early days, Jiya personally approached restaurants and other businesses in her community, hoping to convince them to donate excess food. Many would just say no, right off the bat,” she recalled. But rejection did not stop her. Jiya also coordinated volunteers who collected the food and delivered it to shelters. As the organisation expanded, her role evolved from making local connections to mentoring other young leaders. For Jiya, the goal is not simply to make Thrive2Gethr bigger. She wants to ensure that existing chapters receive the support they need while continuing to expand. Another priority is encouraging restaurants to become more comfortable with food donations. Jiya believes concerns about potential liability can sometimes discourage businesses from participating. Thrive2Gethr provides restaurants with information about the law as part of its outreach, while also trying to raise awareness about food donation more broadly. She also finds meaning in seeing other students become involved in helping their communities. Depending on the location, the food is either delivered to a facility for distribution or given directly to people in need. Jiya particularly enjoys watching student volunteers become invested in the work. Through the experience, Jiya has learned that creating change does not have to be a solo effort. “I don’t let things stop me when it gets hard. “Everyone has to do their part to help. If you’re able to, you should at least try. Her own story, she believes, is proof that one person’s decision to act can eventually create a much larger movement. “If you care about something and you work at it, even something small can create a big ripple effect. You never know who you’ll inspire,” she added. Jiya encourages others to start by contacting local restaurants, getting involved with existing initiatives or even creating a Thrive2Gethr chapter in their community. Her advice is simple: start small and keep going. “If you care about something, just start, and everything will work itself out. As she prepares to head to college and pursue a career in business or economics, Jiya is already leaving behind a framework that other young leaders can use to make a difference. For her, the hardest part is not building a nationwide network. It is simply taking that first step. Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
Today, she recruits and supports student chapter leaders, helps them establish relationships with restaurants, creates guides and resources, and answers questions as they build their own programmes.
Convincing businesses to participate often means hearing “no” repeatedly before finding someone willing to help. The experience has also taught her persistence. Jiya believes one of the biggest misconceptions about volunteering is that people need extensive experience or resources before they can make a difference.