So often our social issues seem huge and overwhelming, and we retreat behind the assumption that it’s just too big a problem to tackle. Not so our friend Jennie Cook, a caterer and former restaurateur who was introduced to the group Root Down L.A. by cookbook author and EAT: LA contributor Amelia Saltsman. We all went to a Root Down event about a year and a half ago, and founder Nat Zappia’s words got Jennie where she lives, and since then she’s been teaching South L.A. kids how to grow and cook their own food — vegetables included.

If you need a bit of positivity and hope as we head into a new decade, check out this Root Down video: