For these teenagers from Maine, their exhausting summer work on the farm seems easier when they deliver the fruits of their labor every week to local food banks. It’s a relationship that works for all: teens work, get paid and learn job skills; food is grown for the needy; and a beautiful piece of land remains protected.

Alexandra Dobbins, 14, told the Bangor Daily News, “Everyone who gets the food thanks us. Plus the food is a much healthier option for people. And instead of getting a can, you get something we really worked hard for. It means more,” she said. Then she and her mom unloaded an SUV full of potatoes, beans, cucumbers and more at the Camden Area Christian Food Pantry. The take was about 140 pounds worth, which Alexandra and her co-workers had planted, nurtered and harvested.

Dylan Reed, 17, right, catches a squash targeted for a local food pantry. (Photo by HEATHER STEEVES, Bangor Daily News)