Proficiency

Meet Mason Finocchio, a 2018 national FFA proficiency finalist, who has taken a stand against hunger in his community. Most kids Mason Finocchio’s age are thinking about college, future careers and their plans for Friday night. Finocchio thinks about those things, too, but his primary concern is helping the less fortunate. “I found out that in my community, the poverty level is 18 percent, which is 4 percent higher than the national average,” says Finocchio. “Because of that, I decided to start a project through FFA dedicated to knocking out hunger in our community.” The recent graduate of Bald Eagle Area High School in Howard, Pa., was a finalist at the 2018 National FFA Convention & Expo for his proficiency in community development. Through this proficiency, which began in 2015, Finocchio raised nearly $10,000 to provide nutritious meals for students when they weren’t in school, as well as $500 for healthy snacks and 938 pounds of canned goods. By applying for the FFA Food for All grant, he has also involved his community with the project [...]