Recently local farmer, Tony Shafer, surprised Spring Valley FFA with another $5,000 grant through Bayer Fund America’s Farmers Grow Communities. The America’s Farmers Grow Communities is …
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Recently local farmer, Tony Shafer, surprised Spring Valley FFA with another $5,000 grant through Bayer Fund America’s Farmers Grow Communities. The America’s Farmers Grow Communities is dedicated to making a difference in rural farming communities; the Grow communities program asks farmers across the country to participate by nominating nonprofit organizations with resources to strengthen their local communities.
Shafer says he “filled out a card” explaining why he thinks the Spring Valley FFA chapter is deserving of this grant and “hoped for the best.” Spring Valley FFA plans to spend this money on paying all members’ state and national FFA dues and continuing to improve the new community garden. The community garden is a product of this past year's grant.
Spring Valley FFA Vice-President Abby Thompson is extremely grateful for this grant.
“Without supportive community members like Tony, we would not be able to continue to improve our FFA chapter,” Thompson said. “FFA is also able to be extremely inclusive due to this grant, making it a great organization for everyone.”
As a local dairy farmer, Shafer knows the importance of giving back to the community.
“We donated to the Backpack Program, Pierce County 4-H, and the area fire department and I think that it is such a good cause,” Shafer said. “FFA is not just teaching, it’s about preparing kids for the future.”
When asked what benefits this grant has for the FFA chapter he said, “It gives you the opportunity to spend money on your own without having to worry about continuing to raise funds for the chapter.”
Spring Valley agricultural teacher and FFA advisor Grace Anderson-Maier has seen first-hand the impact the Bayer Fund America’s Grow Communities has had on Spring Valley FFA.
“This grant has allowed students to participate in activities without worrying about fees,” Anderson-Maier said. “We have been able to start a community garden which seems to have a large interest, and we were able to purchase a classroom set of FFA jackets for students to borrow for contests so they don’t need to buy their own. I am very grateful to Tony for his continued support of our chapter.”
Submitted by Jordan Lamb, Spring Valley FFA Secretary
