FFA members helped to tie the blankets for the Trinity Weekend Backpack Food Program Holiday Boxes for families in need. It is an amazing experience to do something for others! Pictured l to r, front: Leisha Martinez, Winsten Nienhaus, Gunny Coulson, Jade Sellner, Nora Coulson. Middle: Noemi Rodriguez, Chloe Howe, Jose Castorena, Izzy Kunkel, Gracie Sellner, Lucia Martinez, Daniel Armstrong, Grecia Navarro. Back: Adam Johnson, Brandon Tauer, Alex Jaramo, Marcus Martinez, Katelyn Tauer, Ari Krzmarzick, Amy Van Bragt, Conor Strong, Jake Price, Sophie Gustafson, Alex Dominguez, Kyle Capacia.
Freshmen members help with the blankets project as well. Pictured l to r: Alex Confer, Jaelynn Schauman, Genevie Trevino, Andrew Ramos, Alexis Martinez, Dawson Friton, Kayden Klein, Carter Lazatin.
By Kyle Capacia, FFA Reporter
This year, the Sleepy Eye FFA is Living to Serve by helping Trinity with the Weekend Backpack Food Program and especially the Holiday Boxes and gifts. The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter applied for a National FFA Yearlong Living to Serve Grant for $3000 in order to help with the Trinity Backpack program which includes food bags each week and Holiday Gift Boxes. With the generosity of the National FFA, Tractor Supply Company, Cargill, CoBank, Elanco, and Dominos, the Living to Serve Grant became a reality for the Sleepy Eye FFA.
The Backpack program is where students at risk for hunger receive bags of food for the weekend with two family meals – main dishes, fruit, vegetables, and a snack. The FFA grant money is being used to help with several extensions of the Backpack Food Program: Birthday boxes for each elementary participant, fruit in each food bag, pantry for middle school students which includes: food, snacks, personal care items as well as personal care items for the Holiday Boxes. We also got an ornament for each family for the Holiday Box as well as made a tie blanket for each child in the program.
This September, the officer team made all of the Birthday Boxes for the children who had fall birthdays. In early November, members and officers went to Mark Thomas Co. to pack meals and made the tie blankets. In December, they purchased and delivered all of the personal care items and ornaments for the Holiday Boxes. We continue to purchase fruit for the weekly meals as well as provide the food pantry for the middle school students and birthday boxes for the students in the program.
The FFA is thrilled to be a part of this amazing project that the Trinity church conducts in cooperation with Sleepy Eye Public Schools, along with numerous community partners, providing food to students all school year long. Some of the partners include: Central Region Cooperative, Brown County United Way, Land ‘O Lakes, Sleepy Eye FFA and other community members.
Receiving this $3000 grant and helping with this project was a great way for Sleepy Eye FFA members to contribute to the community and build relationships while doing so.