Nearly $330,000 In Grants Utilized By FFA Chapters To Ease Hunger In Schools, Communities
A group of Oxford Jr/Sr High School students in Kansas are providing fresh vegetables to their school backpack program. Students in Lebanon, Connecticut, are raising broilers, laying hens and hogs to provide fresh protein sources to the local food pantry.
The students – and thousands like them throughout the U.S. – are all FFA members utilizing grant monies to implement long-term, real-world solutions to ease hunger in their communities.
The National FFA Organization has awarded nearly $330,000 in grants to start new service-learning projects or sustain existing programs they have created to fight hunger locally. This year, a total of 138 FFA chapters have received up to $2,500 FFA: Food for All grants to develop and implement hunger solutions in their schools or communities. The grants are made possible by support from CF Industries, Elanco, Mainsource, Tractor Supply Company and Tyson as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.
All initiatives rely on FFA members and their chapters as a whole for implementation. In addition to providing food solutions, students also volunteer to help teach fellow students, grade-school students, residents and community groups how to care for, grow, prepare and preserve food.
Last year, 8,978 FFA members partnered with 7,010 non-FFA youth to volunteer a combined 129,961 hours in their communities to fight hunger. More than 185,000 pounds of fresh produce, meat and eggs were donated by 2014 Food for All grant recipients.
To learn more about what FFA chapters are doing with their grants to fight hunger in their communities, visit FFA.org/FoodForAll.
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 610,240 student members who belong to one of 7,665 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
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About National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is a national youth organization of 610,240 student members as part of 7,665 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org, on Facebook, Twitter and the official National FFA Organization blog.
About National FFA Foundation
The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. Governed by a 19-member board of trustees comprised of educators, business leaders, individual donors and FFA alumni, the foundation is a separately-registered nonprofit organization. About 82 percent of every dollar received by the foundation supports FFA members and agricultural education opportunities. For more, visit FFA.org/Give.
