This question, asked by fourth graders from a low-income neighborhood during a trip to the local farmers market, prompted our FoodCorps member Kelsie Larson to arrange for the kids to visit a local pumpkin farm. There the kids were treated to an exciting afternoon learning about pumpkins, chickens, and yes, brussels sprouts. You can read Kelsie’s full account of the farm visit here.
This kind of education is what NCAT’s FoodCorps work is all about: teaching kids about heathy foods – what they are, where and how they are grown, and how to eat them.
Another kind of education NCAT provides is training veterans to become sustainable agriculture producers. We help veterans like John, who served as a gunner in the Iraq war. While trying to transition to civilian life, he found that agricultural work gave him some release from his memories of war. Thanks to NCAT’s training, he and his wife now run a successful poultry operation.
There are thousands of veterans just like John who could benefit from a career in agriculture, and that’s why NCAT offers its Armed to Farm program, a full week of classroom and hands-on training teaching production and business skills. We also offer guidance and assistance after the training to ensure veterans have all the resources they need to be successful. You can read about the materials available to help veterans on our website.
These are just two of the many projects underway at NCAT, focused on serving disadvantaged and vulnerable people across the country.
We can’t do it without you. Your donation is critical to our ability to educate and help kids and families live better through healthier foods, reduced energy costs, and stronger local economies.
Please make your tax-deductible contribution today. You can give online, and help more poor children have better school lunches.
Your financial gift will ensure we can teach more veterans about agriculture, so they can continue to serve our country, this time with tractors, crops, and livestock.
