INDIANAPOLIS, May 25, 2012 – The National FFA Organization announced plans for an “FFA Rally to Fight Hunger” at the 2012 National FFA Convention and Expo, Oct. 24-26, to help feed children and adults suffering from food insecurity. Launched as part of the organization’s “Feeding the World–Starting at Home” initiative to fight hunger, the rally will engage as many as 10,000 FFA members from across the country and local volunteers. Their goal is to package one million meals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to combat hunger.
Working with Kids Against Hunger, a humanitarian food-aid organization,
FFA members from across the nation will assemble meals and gather additional
supplements to provide relief from hunger and malnutrition. Approximately half
of the meals will be distributed in the Indianapolis area. Others will be
shipped to designated locations domestically and internationally.
Distributing a portion of the meals in Indianapolis has special
significance. “Part of our purpose is to thank Indianapolis for seven years of
solid support as the host city of our national FFA convention,” said Dwight Armstrong,
CEO of the National FFA Organization. “We believe no one is better positioned
to address hunger than the FFA members preparing to be tomorrow’s leaders in
providing food and nutrition for a growing planet.”
During the rally, as many as 10,000 FFA members will take part in hour-long
shifts over the three-day period. In addition to packaging meals, members will
learn about the causes and issues of hunger, and they will receive information
on how to conduct their own hunger-fighting efforts in their home communities.
The “FFA Rally to Fight Hunger” will launch the organization’s “Feeding
the World–Starting at Home” initiative to combat hunger in the U.S. and around
the globe. FFA chapters across the country are developing sustainable
hunger-related projects that provide assistance to local residents. FFA members
receive hands-on experience in production agriculture and agribusiness while
assisting the communities in which they live. They are involved in all facets
of these service projects, from planning and design to implementation and
marketing. “Feeding the World–Starting at Home” is an initiative of the
National FFA Organization and sponsored in part by Farmers Feeding the World
and Tractor Supply Company through the National FFA Foundation.
Through “Feeding the World–Starting at Home”, agriculture students will
understand the issues and effects of hunger and then take action to support the
human right to safe, affordable and nutritious food. The initiative will
leverage FFA programs that develop leadership, personal growth and career
success to fight the root causes of hunger. These include student and advisor
workshops, global experience opportunities, hunger-fighting grants, internships
and educational resource networks. “Hunger is the right issue for FFA, and
it’s fully aligned with our values and vision,” said Ryan Best, 2011-2012
National FFA President. “What FFA members learn in Indianapolis at the rally
will prepare them to continue fighting hunger in more than 7,500 local
communities. Hunger is a battle that we must win.”
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