“Year after Year, we have seen an increase of individuals and families fighting hunger; to some they do not know where their next meal is going to come from due to financial struggles. The Garretson FFA is ready to help fight hunger here in South Dakota, as well as, educate the Community of Garretson about this growing issue. As a chapter, we have turned a dream into goals and we are excited to turn our goals into success. The Garretson FFA is hosting a Meals of Hope Food packaging event on Monday, February 18th, 2019 in the Garretson School Commons. We have set a goal to raise $25,000 in donations to assist us in packaging 100,000 meals (at 25 cents per meal) for the Community of Garretson and surrounding areas. We would like to thank each and every one of you in advance for your donation, monetary or time. Thank you for being a huge part of helping the Garretson FFA grow awareness and FIGHT hunger!” –Jacob Schmidt
~Meals of Hope will be held from 10:00AM to 1:00PM in the Commons at the Garretson School on Monday, February 18th, 2019~
by Madison Decker, GHS FFA
National FFA Week is a week-long tradition that began in 1947, when the National FFA Board of Directors designated the week of George Washington’s birthday for five days of agricultural support in recognition of his legacy as an agriculturist and farmer. The first National FFA Week was celebrated in 1948 and is still celebrated in FFA chapters from Alaska to Puerto Rico, Maine to the Virgin Islands.
The Garretson FFA Chapter Officers have been working hard, planning and preparing to host a variety of fun and interactive educational activities for the students at Garretson Elementary, Middle, and High School. The biggest event being hosted will be the first of the week on Monday, February 18th with our Meals of Hope event.
FFA Officer and Member Jacob Schmidt approached the chapter on hosting this event after partaking in it at the State FFA Convention the past three years. Jacob saw the need to fight hunger and take care of our neighbors here in Garretson and local communities. Jacob got the officer team on board with this idea, and FFA Advisor Ms. Alysha Kientopf stated, “If you want to do something good and a work of service, I am here to back you. Let's turn this dream into goals and then turn those goals into reality.”
FFA Officers have been reaching out to businesses and community members, collecting enough money to package over 50,000 meals on Monday, Feb 18. We are not just looking for help financially with this project, but also encourage the community of Garretson to reach out to an FFA Member or Ms. Kientopf to learn how you can help assist us in packing the meals or through a donation. We are looking for 75 to 100 people to help us in this One Act of Service and hope to make this an annual event.
Throughout the rest of the week we will be hosting dress-up days, a Dirty Car Contest, the Blood Drive, Middle School CDE, and last, but not least, our Petting Zoo and Activity Center.
Our Mission with the petting zoo is to promote agriculture and educate youth on the development and importance of Agriculture in our lives. The Garretson High School Ag Building will be open from 8:30-2:00 on Friday, Feb 22 for Garretson school students and community members to come enjoy a variety of animals to pet or even possibly help bottle feed a calf. We also will have some old-fashioned agriculture activities such as Rope Making and Corn shelling happening too.
After a fun-filled week, we want to give back to the community and simply say Thank You for your continuous support throughout the year. We invite you to our Annual Community Appreciation Breakfast on Saturday, February 23rd at the American Legion. We will be serving pancakes, biscuits & gravy, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee, juice, and milk. This breakfast is a free-will donation, but we really want you to know that it is to Thank You all. We look forward to seeing many familiar faces throughout the week, to share our passion about agriculture, and show you what students at Garretson High School are doing to highlight our premier Leadership, Personal Growth, and Career Success program.
