The Gainesway community center specifically caters to youth at the Tate’s creek middle and high school; this group has been ongoing for 3 consecutive years and has demonstrated improvement in food security and physical activity among the students. The resource staff can recount the lack of interest from students in the early stages of our afterschool activities. Since year one the rotation of participates has increased to 50 - 60 students in the elementary, middle and high school. These students have learned fundamental skills like: gardening, resource management, cooking skills and food safety. Students have expressed an increase interest in the classrooms and demonstrate increased leadership.All students demonstrated an improvement in resource management and positive change in food behavior related to Myplate nutrition class. Students have also demonstrated budgeting skills by their involvement in the school garden and utilizing the produce to make lunches instead of spending money at the local convenient store. The improvement of food security (these students live in a food desert and often relied on "back pack" food programs for weekly meals) was demonstrated through discussion of using the garden to stretch food budget through long breaks during the school year. Students displayed an increase in self-worth and community morale as many high students who graduated come back to the community center to mentor elementary and middle school students.