Triton FFA Food Drive once again a success

For many years the Triton
FFA has helped the local com- munity through purchasing food for the Dodge County Food Shelf.
That was the case again this year as the group was able to purchase 1,144 pounds of food from Sunshine Foods recently.
Every year the FFA Chapter uses $1,000 from funds raised during its annual corn drive to purchase food for the food shelf from the local grocery store.
In recent years they have also received an additional
$100 from Sunshine Foods to spend on food to help people in need, in the local community.
For the local FFA Chapter giving back to the commu- nity is something that is very important.
“One of the big things in FFA is service and giving back to the community,” said Gabri- ela Staub, Co President of Tri- ton FFA.
Purchasing food for the local food shelf is also really impor- tant because it helps out a lot of families in need.
According to the food shelf there are 439 families using the food shelf service with 710 total individuals in a month
obtaining some portion of their food needs from the coun- ty food shelf.
“For the people who are less fortunate it means a lot and it’s a wonderful experience,” said Staub.
During the day the chapter members are split up into dif- ferent groups armed with a certain amount of money to buy food. Before they go to the store they are also given a list of what the food shelf needs most to help with purchasing foods.
“It helps out a lot to know what to buy,” Staub said.
Robert Ickler, the Advisor for the Triton FFA explained that students have enjoyed the project since he first started
it with the group, many years ago.
“The students really enjoy the opportunity to go shop- ping and help out people in need in our community,” Ick- ler said, “they get out their calculators and keep track trying to stay within in $150
budget per group. That way students get to see how quickly the money goes on food," he added. For Staub knowing that they will have a driect impact on people's lives close to them through the project is her favorite part. "Soing something that will impact someone's life in a positive way is my favorite part," Satub said.