Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Pictured: Kirsten Konder, agricultural/technology education teacher and FFA advisor
The Luck High School FFA was all set to celebrate FFA Week last month, complete with a Chili Day. But when one of Luck’s food service staff got COVID the Saturday before the big week and food service staff were quarantined, the Luck FFA took on a surprise service project—providing breakfast and snacks to Luck students for a week.
Luck was able to get lunches from neighboring districts, but with a significant percentage of students on free and reduced lunch, the school asked, how would they manage breakfasts and snacks? Would they have to enlist parents to create food trains? Would teachers be asked to contribute?
About 1-1/2 hours northeast of Minneapolis with a population of 1,000 or so, Luck has approximately 130 students in grades 9-12. The FFA has around 70 members (which includes 7th and 8th grade students), and community ties are strong.
Kirsten Konder, agricultural/technology education teacher and FFA advisor, assessed the situation, but she didn’t have to think too long. “[Our FFA members] like doing things with the community,” says Ms. Konder. So after a few phone calls and approval from an always supportive Superintendent Cory Hinkel, the FFA signed up to provide breakfasts and snacks for all Luck students for a week.
In practice, this meant FFA members were tasked with picking out food items that were within food guidelines. They learned foods had to be prepackaged, and healthy with higher nutritional value. The FFA wanted to maintain a dairy emphasis. (It was still FFA Week, after all.) And they also chose items they’d enjoy eating themselves. So they picked out clementines, apples, Cliff Bars, and granola bars, to name a few.
“Teachers were thankful they didn’t have ‘hangry’ children on their hands,” says Ms. Konder.
This wasn’t the FFA’s first service project though. They provided a $100 gift card to help a community member with transportation to cancer treatment, they helped the staff with food trains, and they’re in the process of adopting a highway.
Speaking of career and technical education generally, Ms. Konder says, “[Local] businesses love seeing the kids being active in the community.” Schaffer Manufacturing in Milltown supports Luck’s welding career pathway. Bishop Fixture & Millwork in Balsam Lake and Burnett Dairy Coop offer students job shadows and opportunities.
Other businesses have been supportive, too. When the COVID shutdown began, Van Meter’s Meats in Luck sent out packed lunches and, when the FFA found themselves with a COVID relief grant from the National FFA, they purchased Van Meter’s hotdogs for families. Lakeside Foods has provided fresh veggies for events. And more than 125 businesses contributed to Luck FFA’s silent auction in past years.
“Businesses want them to come back to the community,” she says. So much so that the Frandsen Family is paying tuition for all seniors to get an associate’s degree at tech school!
“They know if [students] get a good connection at tech college, they’re the ones who are going to want to come back and take over these businesses.”
Some might say that Luck missed out on FFA Week this year. But in a community that prides itself on community partnerships, FFA Week was an ideal learning opportunity!