From left, Samantha Humphrey, 18, senior; Ashley Keen, 18, senior; and Jackie Berkey, 18, senior and president of the Palmetto High School FFA chapter.
When raising livestock for show, the young members of Future Farmers of America can learn responsibility, the benefits of hard work, and many other skills they will need no matter what career they pick.
The members of the Palmetto High School FFA Chapter take their experience to another level and learn life lessons of sharing their good fortune and helping others in need.
Seventeen Palmetto High students volunteered April 12 at the Church of Hope food pantry and distributed pork products from a hog they raised last year for competition at the Manatee County Fair.
“It’s a farm to table lesson come to life,” said Julie Tillett, Palmetto High teacher and FFA chapter advisor. “At the same time I wanted to tie in hunger relief.”
This is the second year the FFA chapter offered to donate the meat from the livestock they raised to the Hope Center, a food pantry the church operates out of buildings on church property at 1701 10th St. W.
“When Mosaic (the fertilizer company) bought our steer last year,” Tillett said, “they asked if we wanted the money.
“I thought it would be better to help the community,” she said.
So the animal was butchered and the chapter members helped to distribute the meat to people at the church food pantry.
This year the hog was 285 pounds and rendered 165 pounds, which fed 70 people, Tillett said.
“These kids are working so hard all year long raising the animal,” said Jackie Barron, Manatee County public affairs manager for Mosaic.
“They’re awesome,” Barron said. “They see their projects end successful.”
From left, Jackie Barron, Caleb Summeralls, Jackie Berkey and Julie Tillett.
The Palmetto High FFA hog named Bubba was only one of six hogs Mosaic purchased at the fair in February. The company also bought four steers, helping other FFA and 4-H members throughout the county.
“It’s part of Mosaic to donate back to the community,” Barron said. “It’s a lot of hard work raising livestock but great for the kids to see their hard work returned to the community.”
Giving back to the community was on the mind of Palmetto High senior and FFA member Caleb Summeralls, as he helped some of the food pantry customers to their vehicles with the items they received.
“I enjoy it,” said Summeralls, 18 and a FFA member for six years. “You see how you are helping out the community.”
He said he was planning on becoming a sheriff’s deputy when he graduates and continue to give back to the community.
For Palmetto High FFA chapter president, Jackie Berkey, helping at the food pantry was very uplifting.
“I’m really inspired by people my age [putting] so much work into something, like raising livestock,” Berkey said, “then donating it.”
The 18-year-old senior said her chapter has a tradition of helping the community.
“FFA does other community-oriented projects,” she said. “We made planters similar to the EarthBoxes with 5-gallon plastic buckets to help people in the food desert grow their own vegetables.”
The chapter has made and distributed 200 planters already and are working on the next 200, said Berkey, who has been with FFA for 7 years.
Lenworth Gordon, who coordinates the food pantry operation, said the students receive as much from their volunteering as do the customers.
“We appreciate the FFA students helping,” Gordon said. “It’s relationship building.
“It gives them a different perspective of their community,” he said.
Gordon, who has been with the food bank for four years, said in the past the students provided more than just the hog; they have also contributed vegetables they grew.
He said the food bank is important for the community.
“We touch the lives of people from Palmetto, Bradenton and Parrish,” Gordon said.
“The expression of gratitude from the individuals tells us how important this service is to their existence,” he said.
Pastor Steve Goudy of Church of Hope, an interdenominational congregation affiliated with the Assembly of God, said Hope Center started in 2002 and has 35 to 45 volunteers a week.
“Last year we gave away 182 tons of food, and we can’t keep track of how much clothing,” Goudy said.
Many community food banks open their doors only once a month, but Hope Center is open every week.
Donations come from church members and the community, and they purchase their food from The Food Bank of Manatee County Meals on Wheels Plus.
“We have a good relationship with them,” Goudy said.
