Members of the DeWitt Central FFA officer team at the Little Grocery Grabbers event.
Most people take the grocery store for granted. They simply walk in, buy their food and leave without ever thinking about where it comes from. Everyone needs food, yet few people truly understand how their food gets to the store.
To solve that issue, the members of the DeWitt Central FFA officer team decided to show local elementary school students where their food comes from and how it is produced.
Check Out This Idea
During a summer officer retreat in 2023, the DeWitt Central FFA officer team determined that they wanted to focus on educating younger students about agriculture and FFA. One of the planned events was called Little Grocery Grabbers. The event is designed to teach elementary school students about the grocery store and where their food comes from. The officers recognized that kids often don’t understand where their food comes from and wanted to show them how their food gets to the store.
“I think the most important thing for the kids to learn is that the products at the grocery store don’t just appear on the shelves,” says President Hannah Grantz. “There are many steps that are taken when processing food, and farmers play a big role in that process.”
When planning the event, the officers wanted to provide students with a fun and interactive experience. A local grocery store was willing to let the chapter use its store for the event, which proved to be the perfect place.
The team decided to separate the store into stations where students would learn about different aspects of the store. Each station was led by one of the officers, which required a lot of preparation and research. Aside from the typical produce, meat and dairy sections, the team included a bakery, frozen food and cereal station. These are areas young students are familiar with, so it was designed to help them learn about the importance of healthy eating choices.
Fruits of Their Labor
For the last two years, the event has proven to be a success. The students enjoy learning about where their food comes from and love being able to interact with things in the store. With all of the preparation that goes into Little Grocery Grabbers, it’s not only the kids who are learning.
“This experience helped me learn more about what goes into all of my food,” Secretary Kamryn Keester said.
It’s safe to say the chapter won’t be shopping for a new event any time soon.
