My first day asking strangers if they want to help save food

Hi! It’s me, Sri.

This past Saturday was a big day. My mom and I drove around DFW asking farmers markets and libraries if they would let me share my EcoServe project with their communities. I was a little nervous because I had never done this before. But it turned out way better than I thought it would, and also way harder, and also way more interesting.

Here’s how it actually went.

Stop 1: Keller Farmers Market

We started at Keller Farmers Market. I walked in not really knowing what to expect. I had like 30 flyers in a folder and my mom and I had practiced what to say.

I asked one of the directors of the farmers market if I could have a booth. They said no. I felt my stomach drop a little bit. I had hoped they would just say yes. He explained that wouldn’t be possible because of all the paperwork and things that were required to set up a booth.

But then I talked to a really nice lady named Sheri, who runs the whole farmers market. She listened to my whole pitch about EcoServe and the food spoilage sensor. And then she said something that kind of changed everything: “You can’t have a booth at the regular market, BUT there’s this thing called Kidpreneur, and I sponsor it. You should try that.”

I didn’t even know Kidpreneur existed. It turns out it’s a national program where kids ages 5 to 17 set up booths to share their projects. That’s exactly what EcoServe needs.

So I got a “no” and a “yes to something better” in the same conversation. I was really excited!

Stop 2: Grapevine Library

Grapevine said no. I was a little sad at this, but they had already booked up their summer months in advance. They didn’t have a spot for me.

But you know what I learned? “No” doesn’t mean you did something wrong. Sometimes it just means it’s not the right fit for them right now. That’s okay.

Stop 3: Colleyville Library

Colleyville said maybe. The librarian seemed interested but said she’d need to think about it and check with her team. She kept the flyer, which felt like a small win.

Stop 4: Keller Library

Keller Library said “probably not.” Two librarians had a quick conversation with us, and they were really kind about explaining their schedule was full. They gave me some other ideas for places to try though, like town hall.

Even though they said they probably couldn’t fit me in, they gave me the contact info for their main librarian, who wasn’t there that day. They said I could try to contact her to see if there were any opportunities to fit it in, and if it wasn’t possible in the summer, maybe the fall.

Stop 5: Roanoke Library

This is where things got fun. The librarian at Roanoke was very welcoming. She liked my flyer, said yes to hanging up a poster (she just needed to find the right spot for it), and said probably yes to letting me come do a 30-minute family STEM program in the library.

Two yeses in one stop!! I was really happy.

Stop 6: Bedford Library

Bedford said “maybe” on hanging up a poster. Not a yes, not a no. She seemed nice and said she’d need to talk with her team. I left a flyer and we kept going.

Stop 7: Hurst Library

Hurst Library said they would try to see if there was any time in the calendar to fit my program in! So, that one was maybe, leaning to the side of probably. She said if I came back on Tuesday, they would have a definite answer for me. This was a pretty good deal! But that wasn’t the best part. The best part was that the librarian there let me hang up my EcoServe poster right then! I was really excited seeing my poster there.

What I learned

I asked 6 libraries and 1 farmers market if they wanted to work with EcoServe. Here’s the actual scorecard:

• 1 maybe yes (Hurst, poster hung)
• 1 probably yes (Roanoke, poster to-be hung)
• 2 maybes (Colleyville, Bedford)
• 1 probably not (Keller)
• 1 no (Grapevine)
• 1 “no to this, but try this other thing” (Keller Farmers Market, Sheri)

That’s 2 likely yeses, 2 maybes, and 3 nos out of 7 attempts.

When I started the day, I thought a 2 out of 7 success rate would feel like failure. But by the end I realized: TWO libraries have my poster up. ONE woman gave me the lead to a program that’s even better than a booth. That’s three real things that didn’t exist when I woke up Saturday morning. That’s not failure. That’s a great day.

Advice for other kids

If you’re a kid reading this and you want to do something like EcoServe in your own community, here’s my advice:

1. Most people will say no, or maybe, or not yet. That’s fine. You don’t need everyone to say yes. You just need a few people to say yes.
2. Bring real materials. Don’t show up empty-handed. The flyers made every conversation easier because people had something to look at while I was talking.
3. Let your parents come with you, but let YOU do the talking. Every librarian and market manager I met seemed more engaged in the conversation when an 11-year-old started explaining her own project. That’s a thing kids can do that adults can’t.
4. Save the photos of every win. Even the small ones. You’ll want them later.

What’s next

I’m going back to Hurst on Tuesday. I’m emailing Sheri about Kidpreneur. I’m following up with Colleyville and Bedford and Wendy. EcoServe is just getting started.

Thanks for reading!