Photo credit: Sacha Yick

Focused on her work, Charlotte Stein (‘26) uses her hands to sculpt a ceramic piece during class. She chose ceramics as her elective in freshman year and continued to pursue it all four years, as it is one of her favorite hobbies. “I think it’s just a really great hobby that has given me a lot of friends and joy,” Stein said.

In California, August of 2023, 53% of households with children had to skip meals, increasing by 24% from 2022. For senior Charlotte Stein, that statistic is more than just a number. Through ceramics and hands-on volunteering, Stein has spent much of her high school career working to combat food insecurity in her community.

She began her service journey in her freshman year by focusing her service-learning project on food insecurity through one of her hobbies. She sold her ceramic creations to raise money to donate the proceeds to local food banks. She started her service-learning project the summer after freshman year and completed it in the spring of junior year, when she received her service award. Although her service project is now over, she still visits the LA Regional Food Bank when time permits to help provide food for those who struggle with receiving healthy food.

Stein’s family has volunteered at food banks since she was young, she said, which piqued her interest in service. She said she was able to gain insight from her experience within service.

“I got to know a lot of people there, in the organization downtown, and I just thought it was a really good place that has been really affected after the Palisades fires and after COVID,” Stein said. “They have had to increase their supplies and have to do a lot more donations now, and I just wanted to see how I could help and how I could make an impact with things that I already was doing or things that I really enjoyed.”

When she was still doing her service project, Stein conducted a sale of her ceramic pieces to raise money to donate to the LA Regional Food Bank in downtown.

“It was just kind of a one-time thing,” Stein said. “I don’t think I would be doing that regularly, but I just had a surplus of pieces, and I felt like, ‘How could I give back, while also decluttering my space a little bit?'”

Lori Christopher, Stein’s mother and longtime supporter of the food banks, was excited when her daughter shared her interest. Christopher often said how proud she was of Stein and was glad her daughter found something she was passionate about. 

“Seeing what she created, then seeing that people wanted to buy them, wanted to support her,” Christopher said. “It just made me so proud of her, on so many different levels.”

Christopher also said that she and Stein were able to participate in volunteering together during and after Stein’s service project, such as helping package meals with other families. She enjoyed volunteering with her daughter, since they were able to bond while also helping the community.

During Stein’s time volunteering, she led and orchestrated all the volunteers who were a part of a program called Teenage Heroes.

“You’re literally coordinating adults who are there — however many dozen adults who show up on a certain Saturday,” Christopher said. “It’s putting yourself out there with people you don’t know and taking a leadership position. And that was a huge amount of growth for her in that service role.”

Stein worked closely with other teenage volunteers and took on responsibilities that went beyond simply volunteering. She also spent time observing operations behind the scenes, learning how the food banks were organized and functioned from day-to-day.

“I think I definitely learned a lot. I would really recommend it to anyone who … works with the food bank,” Stein said. “It was a really eye-opening experience, and I enjoyed it.”

 Stein found the program and wanted to apply for it on her own, her mother said.

“She took the initiative to apply for it, and then got in.” Christopher said. “That showed me how committed she was to making a difference, at least in that organization and in that community, making food insecurity something she really cared about.”

One of Stein’s closest friends, Olivia Hallinan-Gan (‘26), described how much respect she has for her. She said they’ve known each other since kindergarten and grew up together, going as far as to say they “fight a little bit like sisters.” However, they are always there to support each other. Hallinan-Gan said she respects how Stein never alters herself to fit in. 

“She’s so comfortable in herself and her own belonging, and I think that is so special,” Hallinan-Gan said. “I feel like I can support her as much as I can, but sometimes Charlotte is just so her and doesn’t need me at all — sometimes when I need her so much.”

Stein is someone Hallinan-Gan said she can rely on, regarding school or simply needing someone to hang out with over the weekend. 

“She’s just such an open door, and always there for you, no matter what,” Hallinan-Gan said. “Even if sometimes she didn’t want to hang out with me, she was like, ‘Yeah, come over.’”

As Stein reflected on her journey with ceramics and service, she said one of her passions was being there for people in times of need.

“If you care a lot about something, you can make an impact however big or small you want,” Stein said. “And I think that, wherever I go, I’ll be able to help in whatever way I find.”