(St. Leon, IN) – In August 2024, The East Central FFA Chapter was awarded a $3,000 National FFA Living to Serve Grant. This nationwide program provides grant money to local FFA chapters to support yearlong service-learning projects that address needs related to community safety; environmental responsibility; hunger, health and nutrition; and community engagement.
East Central was the only FFA chapter in Indiana to receive a yearlong grant.
East Central FFA addressed accessibility to gardening for people with mobility issues or other disabilities by building accessible raised garden beds. After being built in April and May 2025, 15 beds were distributed to Southeastern Indiana Community Gardens, The Civic Garden Center in Cincinnati, and Gorman Heritage Farm in Evendale, Ohio. Five beds were provided to local citizens who expressed the need to have one to be able to further their garden activities at home.
FFA members built the garden beds in the East Central Agriculture Shop. Wyatt Smith, Evan Kramer, Seth Strobl, Riley Shumate, Jake Lutz and Austin Makrancy were the primary members involved with this project. They did all of the work from cutting out all lumber, bed and leg assembly, installing a landscape fabric liner, and signage on the beds.
A huge thank you goes to FFA parent and EC FFA Alumni member Jeremy Smith for providing the truck and trailer to deliver 10 of the beds to Southeastern Indiana Community Gardens in May. East Central FFA worked with Shyra Tedesco, director and co-founder of the Southeastern Indiana Community Gardens to find locations for the raised beds.
By completing this project members of the community are able to increase their physical activity and improve healthy lifestyle habits that promote physical and mental well-being while gardening.
“For the aging and disabled people in our community, these accessible raised garden beds allow them to easily continue on with a long lasting hobby or to venture into a new one. In making these raised beds, East Central FFA members are able to learn new skills and feel accomplished in that they are doing something for the community,” said East Central FFA Chapter President Isabelle Leurck.
The grant program provided over $176,590 to FFA chapters in 29 states.
The 2024-2025 FFA Yearlong Living to Serve Grants were sponsored by Cargill and Tractor Supply Company.
For more information about Living to Serve Grants, visit FFA.org/livingtoserve.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,027,200 student members as part of 9,235 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
East Central FFA plans to continue this project, and will be building additional beds during the 2025-2026 school year. If you know someone who could benefit from a raised garden bed, please contact Roy Johnson at East Central High School: phone – (812) 576-4811 ext. 11122 or email- rjohnson@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us.
(East Central FFA press release)
