posted on Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Kudos to the Belmond-Klemme FFA for organizing a district-wide food drive for both the community food pantry and the BK Buddy's Pantry—a food shelf at the elementary school. Through Ignite the Spirit, the FFA students also took the planning and delivering of holiday boxes to families throughout all of the communities of the Belmond-Klemme School District.
Debbie Barkela, Belmond-Klemme Agriculture Instructor & FFA Advisor, said the students had a goal of collecting over 2,000 food items, plus organizing the 24 food boxes. “We're always shown great pride in helping and serving our communities,” said Barkela.
Belmond-Klemme FFA was one of 40 student-based organizations that participated in the Ignite the Spirit program offered by Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation.
Ignite the Spirit is an extension of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation’s Operation Christmas Meal program and is aimed at increasing awareness of hunger locally and igniting the spirit of service by giving local student groups the tools—pork!—to help even more families during the holiday season.
As part of the program, FFA chapters and 4-H clubs also receive event kits with aprons and masks along with a check for $250 to purchase additional food for the meal.
Way to go, Belmond-Klemme FFA