4-H Students Give Back Through Farm to Food Pantry Project

14 hours ago
2 min read

Our 4-H students recently received a Community Pride Service Learning Grant through the 4-H Youth Development Program, providing funding to help students design and lead a project that benefits their local community. These grants support youth-driven service learning initiatives that teach leadership, responsibility, and community involvement while allowing students to see how their efforts can make a real difference.

Our school was awarded $1,068.32 for the project “Burns Sci Tech Growing Community: A 4-H to Farm Food Pantry Initiative.” The goal of the project is to help provide fresh produce to families while teaching students about agriculture, sustainability, and community service. Their original plan was to provide six weeks of vegetable shares for the food pantry, but due to receiving partial funding and a recent freeze that unfortunately damaged many plants at our partner farm, they adjusted the project to provide three weeks of vegetable shares.

They partnered with Green Flamingo Organics Farm, a local farm dedicated to growing fresh produce and building strong connections within the community. Liz, the owner, has been incredibly supportive of our students and our school. Despite the challenges from the freeze, she worked closely with us to make the project possible by offering produce at a discounted price and generously donating plants to help launch our school garden.

On Friday, March 13, Liz gave our 4-H team enough plants for our students to fill two large garden beds on campus, and they were able to plant them that day. The plants included broccoli, cauliflower, and several varieties of kale, giving students hands-on experience in gardening while helping build a sustainable resource for our school community. Liz also provided enough fresh greens for staff members to enjoy fresh salads, which was a wonderful and thoughtful addition to the day.

As part of the initiative, 25 families received bags of fresh vegetables. Each bag included a variety of produce along with recipe cards featuring vegetable recipes. To make the bags extra special, our 4-H students colored the recipe cards themselves, adding a personal touch while encouraging families to try new healthy meals at home.

This partnership has also opened the door for future opportunities. Liz hopes to continue strengthening the connection between the farm and our school community, and Ms. Lagana and Ms. Loud, our 4-H leaders, are exploring the possibility of becoming a future pickup location for the farm’s CSA shares, which would make fresh, locally grown produce even more accessible to our families.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make this project possible. From the support of the 4-H grant program to the generosity of Liz and the team at Green Flamingo Organics Farm, and the leadership of Ms. Lagana and Ms. Loud, this project truly reflects what service learning is all about.

Most importantly, we are proud of our 4-H students, who worked hard to plant, prepare, and share these resources with others. Their efforts are helping grow not only a garden, but a stronger and more connected community.