Lauren Schroeder appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show for her selfless project. She will appear on the show again in January.
“I had no idea my project would receive this much positive attention,” 18-year-old Lauren Schroeder said. “It has been a little overwhelming, honestly.” Schroeder is a senior FFA member at Calamus-Wheatland and has raised and donated over $25,000 worth of fresh produce to 11
nonprofits in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
Schroeder started her service-learning FFA project her freshman year. However, inspiration for her project came in 2020 when COVID struck, and Iowa schools closed. At age 14, she wanted to start on her Silver Cord volunteerism hours and began helping at a nonprofit in Davenport, Iowa, boxing nonperishable items for families in need. During that time, Schroeder realized these packages had no fresh components and decided she wanted to change that. In 2021, she asked her family to convert a large plot of farmland into a garden. They
agreed, and 1 acre was fenced off in the spring of 2022.
Schroeder poses with her final donation of the 2024 season.
Schroeder has expanded her garden each of the past three seasons. She started with 15 types of vegetables and now has over 35 different kinds grown in 2024. Produce includes tomatoes, squash, cauliflower, herbs, eggplant, cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, peppers, green beans, peas, canteloupe and more. To date, she has invested over 1,500 hours of her time planting, watering, weeding, harvesting and delivering her homegrown produce. Schroeder has been a three-time winner of the $1,000 National FFA SAE Grants to help start and expand her project.
Since 2022, Schroeder has donated 12,089 pounds of fresh produce worth $25,791. This past summer, she expanded her nonprofit list to include two from Illinois: Café Nest and River Bend Food Pantry at Southpark Mall. One statistic Schroeder is particularly proud of is that she has donated enough tomatoes (2,398 pounds) to make approximately 600 batches of spaghetti sauce. Her goal at the end of the 2025 season is to add one more nonprofit and cross 18,000 pounds donated in total.
Onions are one of 35+ varieties Schroeder grows.
Multiple organizations and companies have taken note of Schroeder’s project. Throughout the past three summers, she has received donations or won big awards that came with the ability to donate cash back to nonprofits of her choice. Schroeder has donated $4,250 in total back to her 4-H Club, Café on Vine (a soup kitchen), her FFA chapter, and several other nonprofits in eastern Iowa. “I really didn’t see this piece coming at all. But allowing me to select recipients has been special because I can pick those which mean a lot to me,” she said.
In addition to her produce, Schroeder has donated $4,250 to the community from awards she has won. Here, her FFA chapter is the recipient of $1,000 from Iowa Healthiest State Initiative.
Schroeder typically starts her seeds in her school’s greenhouse. She transplants them and completes planting in May. The growing season ends in October at her plot located near Dixon, Iowa. In the peak of summer, harvests happen twice a week. The largest single harvest was
over 500 pounds.
When asked what the hardest part of her project is, Schroeder said (with a smile), “Keeping up with the weeds! We have gotten better about learning how to prevent weeds, but they always seem to find a way!”
Hear more on what keeps Schroeder motivated here.
One of the largest individual hauls of the 2024 year, donated to multiple nonprofits.
Schroeder planting potatoes in April.
