NJ First Lady to Honor Bergen County Volunteer Director

First Lady Mary Pat Christie on Tuesday will name executive director of the Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization (MEVO), Eric Fuchs-Stengel, as her fifth New Jersey hero of 2014 and 29th overall.

Fuchs-Stengel created MEVO in 2008 at the age of 16. In 2011, he started the organization’s Farm to Live program to help low-income families from local communities get fruits and vegetables they need. The produce is grown by volunteers through environmentally-conscious means: without chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers and without using fossil fuel-powered farming tools.

The First Lady will honor Fuchs-Stengel at a community garden located on land donated by Bergen County Community College, from where Farm to Live has grown nearly 200 pounds of vegetables and fruits, including pumpkins. Additionally, Farm to Live has 15 honeybee hives, which produce honey that is locally consumed. Overall, Farm to Live says it has harvested more than 700 pounds of vegetables in three years at the site.

New Jersey Heroes is an initiative of Mary Pat Christie’s that showcases the positive and unique ways people and organizations are impacting New Jersey and their communities.

The event will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Bergen Community College.