One million meals and counting

As the last meal bag is sealed, the next one will soon be prepared. Many stomachs will be satisfied as the National FFA Convention & Expo comes to an end. FFA members from across the country and local volunteers  packaged more than one million meals for the Indianapolis community and families around the world in the FFA Rally to Fight Hunger.

Although the rally has ended, FFA members will travel home and see hunger in their communities. “Hunger is being seen in our local communities like never before…hunger is something we don’t want to think about,” says Dwight Armstrong, the National FFA Organization’s chief executive officer.  “We (FFA) believe that we can make a difference, and we envision a world where hunger will be a thing of the past.”

Hunger can be made history with strong effort and collaboration. Many sponsors have come forward with financial assistance to make ending hunger happen. Sara Lilygren, Tyson Foods senior vice president of external relations,  talks about their partnership with FFA in the fight to end hunger. “We hope the enthusiasm and the creativity they (FFA members) get at convention can be taken back to their communities and they can find even new ways to take care of hunger problems,” says Lilygren. “Hunger is so wide spread in America, but we don’t see it…so a lot of people think it’s not a problem. I think these kids are learning you may not see it, but it’s there and you can help.”

Helping package meals is just one way to fight hunger. Having the conversation on how to fight hunger is another.  “Go back to your communities and learn what’s going on. Find out who is addressing hunger. Reach out to your community food bank, anyone that might be talking about it,” said Cindy Hubert, Gleaners Food Bank President and CEO.

To learn more about how you can feed people in your community, visit kidsagainsthunger.org and feedingamerica.org.To learn more about the Rally to Fight Hunger, visit FFA.org.

Lauren Schwab is a former FFA member from Somerville, Ohio.She is a 2011 graduate of Miami University with a degree in journalism and women’s studies. She is currently a graduate student in family studies and works full time on her family farm. Contact her at schwablm@muohio.edu.

 

FFA supporters honored with Distinguished Service Citations and VIP awards

The Distinguished Service Citations honors organizations, agencies, businesses or other groups who have made outstanding contributions to FFA and agricultural education. This year’s honorees are…

• Briggs & Stratton
• Land O’Lakes, Purina
• Tyson Foods

 

The VIP awards honor individuals who have dedicated many years of service to FFA and agricultural education. This year’s awards were given to…

• Terry England, Georgia
• Marion Fletcher, Arkansas
• Steven Gass, Tennessee
• Steven Gratz, Ohio
• Ken Harris, California
• Glenn Anderson, Virginia
• Greg Thompson, Oregon
• Melody Alford, Colorado

Congratulations to these outstanding companies and individuals, and thank you for making a difference for FFA members everywhere.

Feeding the World, Starting in Indianapolis

This is a special guest post from Ed Nicholson, Director of Community and Public Relations at Tyson Foods.

This week, we were witness to one of the most exciting efforts we’ve seen in the dozen years Tyson Foods has been formally involved in the fight against hunger.   Ten thousand FFA members will pack more than one million meals for hunger relief as part of FFA’s Rally to Fight Hunger at the organization’s national convention in Indianapolis.

It’s all part of a broader FFA initiative, Feeding the World, Starting at Home, which puts a significant organizational focus on the issue of hunger, both here in the U.S. and abroad.  It’s a great fit for the FFA, as well as sponsors like Tyson Foods.

This week’s effort was a tremendous achievement in and of itself.  But it’s the future opportunity that carries the real excitement.  A big part of the experience for the students was a challenge to carry what they saw and learned back to their home communities. To spread awareness.  To recruit others.  To stay involved themselves and find ways they can solve the problem of food insecurity, first in their own communities, then across the country and around the globe.