Three Classes Join Forces for Interdisciplinary Food Justice Trip in New Haven County

On March 23, 2026, three groups of Hopkins juniors and seniors could be seen around New Haven County carrying big, bright blue bags into housing authorities, church food pantries, and food aid facilities. The groups collectively delivered 500 pounds of rescued food from two local nonprofits: the result of a triple interdisciplinary field trip to gain a systemic view of the socioeconomic factors that contribute to food insecurity.

“The field trip left Social Justice students, Economics students, and Nature Literature students with a great sense of community pride and a better understanding of the social, economic, and environmental gaps in our society that leave many at risk,” reflected Nature Literature instructor and member of the English department Shanti Madison. “Students gleefully returned [to school] as they heard tales of the hundreds of households who would be able to come pick up groceries that week,” she added.

The group was made up of students who take Madison’s Nature Literature course, History teacher Edwardo Perez’s Introduction to Economics class, and Director of Equity and Community Becky Harper and Athletic Department Associate and English teacher Dante Brito’s Introduction to Social Justice course.

“I appreciated learning alongside students from other classes because we were able to open our discussions more and have opinions from a wider range of perspectives,” said Mikoto Araki-Siegenfeld ’26 of the Social Justice class. “It was also fun to be able to volunteer with and work with students whom I don’t normally work with.”

Together, the three classes visited the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (D.E.S.K.) in New Haven and Haven’s Harvest in Hamden, two nonprofits that share a common mission to address food insecurity in Greater New Haven. At each location, students learned about the contribution that community-driven initiatives such as these provide.

“Being able to see food justice in full stride and action, I think, was one of the pieces that made this trip successful. The students got to literally see some of the things that they learn about happen in real time,” said Brito.

The partnership between the three classes originated in the 2024–2025 school year when Madison approached Perez about collaborating on their Nature Literature and Economics courses. She already had specific units in Nature Literature focused on food justice and food insecurity and suggested that these would be a strong basis for collaboration if they added an economic component.

“Last year, we came up with the bones of a collaborative Food Justice lesson that would teach Nature Literature students and Economics students,” said Madison.

According to Madison and Perez, the original collaboration was such a success with students that they decided to join forces with Brito and Harper’s Intro to Social Justice course in the 2025–2026 school year, evolving the lesson by adding a human rights perspective.

“There’s such an easy interdisciplinary connection between the three,” Perez reflected. “The collaboration was a no-brainer, and it was awesome working with that whole team to make the trip come to life and work with them in terms of helping teach our units in each of our respective classes.”

Before the field trip, each class explored food insecurity through the lens of its subject area to prepare students with a deeper understanding and greater context.

Students examined the relationship between the natural environment, specifically agriculture, and humans in Nature Literature; how the current U.S. system creates economic gaps and inequities in Introduction to Economics; and interconnected social justice issues, such as redlining and food deserts, in Introduction to Social Justice.

Harper and Brito emphasized the importance of students understanding these social justice issues conceptually before experiencing them firsthand during the field trip.

“Going on this field trip took the concepts we taught in class and made them tangible and concrete so that students didn’t leave our classes with an oversimplified understanding of an interconnected topic like food insecurity and justice,” Harper noted. “There are so many organizations like D.E.S.K. and Haven’s Harvest that are trying to fix the social problems within our immediate area. It’s much more important to actually meet those people instead of just talking about them.”

Brito echoed these sentiments.

“Sometimes you have to sit and learn first before you can go out and fix problems that you don’t know exist yet.”

Before the trip, Mikoto noted that the term “food justice” meant to her simply providing people who lack access to food with food and ingredients.

“The trip expanded my understanding, because it helped illustrate the idea that people who live in food deserts/people who don’t have access to adequate food don’t just experience food insecurity as a standalone issue,” she reflected. “[They] are often impacted by many interconnected aspects of systems in the U.S. that perpetuate wealth disparities and other related issues.”

At D.E.S.K., the group sorted and prepped food to be served to community beneficiaries. At Haven’s Harvest, students were taught the logistics of food recovery. The two groups rescued salvageable food that would otherwise be shipped to landfills, instead redirecting these resources to those in need. The students also interviewed staff at the drop-off sites, gaining a deeper understanding of how these facilities serve the community.

“The students seemed to have really enjoyed the field trip,” Perez observed. “The smiles on their faces: they were doing something that really mattered.”

The interdisciplinary experience between the classroom and meaningful service learning reinforces the overarching vision of Hopkins’ Strategic Plan Initiative, “Next Door Neighbors.” By breaking down classroom walls and integrating academics with community advocacy, the collaboration serves as a model for how Hopkins continues to evolve as an institution that fosters empathetic, locally engaged citizens.