Future Farmer's of America members helped to tie blankets for over 60 kids in the Trinity Weekend Backpack Food Program Holiday Boxes. It is an amazing experience to do something for others! Pictured here is the FFA crew who tied the blankets! L to r – front: Arianna Moore, Nevaeh Moore, Arianna Guerra, Alexis Hoffman, Kylie Fischer, Kamille Capacia, Paola Gonzalez, Lucia Martinez Paredes, Charlie Hoffmann, Alex Confer, Jaelynn Schauman. Middle: Taylor Berkner, Sam Price, Jace Schauman, Kaliya Confer, Anna Johnson, Natalie Fulmer, Kaylie Fulmer, Maddy Goldschmidt, Lily Kallevig, Nora Coulson, Karina Martinez, Carter Lazatin, Carter Lazatin, Jony Flores, Mateo Hornsby. Back: Dillon Gerzsik, Emerson Johnson, Daniel Armstrong, Robert Romberg, Ava Sellner, Ella Arkins, Breanna Lopez, Catherine Simonsen, Ari Krzmarzick, Kayden Klein, Noah Rossbach, Logan Ludewig, James Moore, Cameron Moore.

SLEEPY EYE – This year, the Sleepy Eye Future Farmers of America (FFA) assisted Trinity Lutheran Church with the Weekend Backpack Food Program and the Holiday Boxes and gifts.

Through the backpack program students at risk for hunger receive bags of food for the weekend with two family meals – main dishes, fruit, vegetables, and a snack.

The Sleepy Eye FFA received a National FFA Yearlong Living to Serve Grant as well as an Innovation in Service Grant in order to help with the program. The grant money is being used to extend of the food program. FFA was able to create birthday boxes for each elementary participant, fruit in each food bag, snack pantry for elementary and high school students as well as personal care items for the holiday boxes. Sleepy Eye FFA also gave out hats and gloves for each child and made tie blankets for each child in the program that the families picked up this past week.

All the birthday boxes were created last fall. In October, members and officers packed meals and made tie blankets at their November meeting. In December, they purchased the personal care items and made cards for the holiday boxes. FFA continues to purchase fruit for the weekly meals and provide the snack pantry for the elementary and high school students and birthday boxes for the students in the program.

The program is coordinated by Trinity church in Sleepy Eye Public Schools, Central Region Cooperative, Brown County United Way, Land ‘O Lakes, Sleepy Eye FFA and other community members.