Update: First Lady Christie Honors Bergen County Volunteer Director of Mahwah's MEVO

On July 29, First Lady Mary Pat Christie honored Eric Fuchs-Stengel, Executive Director of the Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization (MEVO) for his “commitment to improving the lives of local residents by increasing access to healthy, fresh foods through the organization’s Farm to Live program”. He is the 29th Garden State resident to be named a New Jersey Hero since Christie began the program in December 2010.

Christie began the program as a way to showcase the “positive and unique ways” people and organizations impact the state and their communities. Environmental enthusiast Fuchs-Stengel, who founded MEVO at the age of 16, “inspired a tremendous commitment to improve and enrich the environment around him,” said First Lady Mary Pat Christie.

“Through his work, Eric recognized a need for greater access to healthy, fresh foods and created the Farm to Liveprogram to help low-income families from local communities get nutritious fruits and vegetables. I am amazed by how this young man is making a difference and I am proud to name Eric as our 5th New Jersey Hero of the year,” Christie told the large crowd who honored Fuchs-Stengel at the community garden of Bergen County Community College. Farm to Live says it has harvested over 700 pounds of vegetables in three years at the site.

Fuch’s Stengel was modest when asked how it felt to be name a hero for New Jersey. He proudly associates all of his accomplishments as one earned by MEVO as a whole.

“I am so proud of MEVO’s volunteers for working so hard these past six years to make a huge difference in Northern New Jersey,” he said. “Receiving this award from Mrs. Christie proved to us again that our cause is important. The future we want to see for our children and grand children is a future that passes on an environment and society that is more sustainable than the one we were born into. Our state and country needs [this future] and MEVO is working in the right direction.

“Every honor we receive makes us work ten times harder to not only have a huge impact, but to ensure that we continue to meet and go above and beyond our mission to show what can be accomplished in the world.”

Fuchs-Stengel hopes his award shows people that they can make a difference, at any age and on every level.

“I am proud of inspiring a greater environmental movement in Northern New Jersey, and for empowering people of all ages to become involved in creating an environmental future,” he said.

To read more about who Eric Fuchs-Stengel’s thanked for making his award possible, click here.