Rick Maguire from the cultishly beloved Boston punk band Pile has contributed a song about fruit farming to a program called Sing Me A Story. Here is the program’s mission statement:

Our mission is to bring the voices of children in need to the world — through music.
The imagination of children who have fallen victim to circumstance has the power to capture what is common and pure in us all. In conjunction with music, which has the ability to carry those messages across borders, stigmas and stereotypes, we hope to further an understanding that we’re ultimately all the same. Such an understanding could foster greater compassion, healing and peace throughout the world.

Sing Me A Story works with organizations serving children in need, collecting stories about whatever the kids want. A panel of songwriters volunteering with Sing Me A Story then turns those stories into songs, which are used to promote the service organization through a crowdfunding effort called a Jukebox Campaign. Anyone who donates to the cause gets a download of the song.

Maguire chose a story by Malachi, age 14, from the Washington, DC homeless support organization Hope And A Home. It’s called “Earth To Food,” and it tracks the journey from planting seeds to feasting on fruit. At the Subterranean in Chicago, Maguire recorded his version of the song, which reminds me of a stripped-down Guided By Voices track. In an accompanying video, he notes, “Keep eating fruit and vegetables.” Hear the song and donate here, and watch the promo clip below.

Read our interview with Maguire here.