News : A Taste of Tradition: Vinton-Shellsburg FFA’s Harvest Meal

Many Middle and High School FFA members packaging meals for the farmers.

Abby McKenna and Sophia Newton deliver to Cooper Mclintock and Ryan Mclintock while working on harvesting the fields.

Elin Allen, Caleb Blattler, Andrew Pingenot, Leif Allen, Cole Birker, and Kirsten Pettit worked on packaging meals at Schminke Equipment for the Shellsburg area.

As local farmers kicked off their harvest, Vinton-Shellsburg FFA members hosted their annual Harvest Meal on Saturday, October 5th. This year, the event took place at Schminke Equipment and Tama-Benton Co-op, where high school and middle school students teamed up to cook, package, and deliver meals to farmers in the area.

The Harvest Meal celebrates the hard work of our local agricultural community and helps build teamwork among FFA members. We had a great lineup of sponsors this year, including Iowa Corn, Benton County Extension, Benton County Cattlemen, various FFA Moms, Pioneer, and Farmers Savings Bank. Delivering meals to farmers is a rewarding experience that shows how important it is to support those who feed our communities. Seeing the smiles on the farmers' faces when they received their meals made all the hard work worth it!

Kelly Geater, a farmer from rural Vinton, shared, "I loved the online order option and how flexible they were when I called to adjust my pickup time since we were moving fields. I'm so thankful for the FFA providing meals and giving me a break from cooking so I could help in the field!"

The Harvest Meal is a beloved tradition that highlights our commitment to agriculture and community. We can't wait for next year's event!