By NATHAN WATSON
FFA Chapter Reporter
Escalon FFA embodies the motto “living to serve” through their Thanksgiving Food Drive, AgVenture presentations, and Christmas Toy Drive. Escalon FFA recently hosted its annual Thanksgiving Meal Drive, during which numerous students and teachers provided enough food to feed 16 families this Thanksgiving. This impressive accomplishment was made possible by the generosity of both Escalon FFA members and the other students and staff at Escalon High who contributed to the event.
Over the past two months, the chapter has also had the opportunity to help serve the community in a variety of other ways. Several FFA members participated in AgVenture at the Manteca Unified District Farm, where they taught over 3,000 third-grade students from across the county about the importance of agriculture and the many different trades and skills it involves. This included giving presentations on food production and the proper use of personal protective equipment, showing livestock species, and sharing farm animal facts. The chapter officers, along with several other Escalon FFA members, also marched in the Veterans’ Day parade alongside the Delta Valley Sectional Officers to help honor all those who devoted their lives to serving our country. The chapter also encouraged students to participate in the Christmas on Main event to help earn their community service hours and stimulate engagement in community activities. Having completed their very successful Thanksgiving Meal Drive, Escalon FFA also hosted their Christmas Toy Drive from December 1st through the 10th to collect toys for children in need and to come together as a community throughout the holiday season.
Although Escalon FFA members have been busy with their community service, ag classes, and agricultural ambassador activities, they have still made time for fun and camaraderie. The chapter hosted several of its own events and activities for students to participate in. One of these events was Escalon FFA’s annual Halloween Carnival Meeting, where FFA members participated in a variety of fun games, enjoyed sweet treats, and competed in a costume contest. The carnival is Escalon FFA’s largest chapter meeting of the year, and this year’s enthusiastic turnout has the officer team especially hopeful for the rest of the year. The chapter also found success with its drive-through barbecue, where they sold and distributed over 100 family-sized meals to help fund chapter events and activities, including FFA state conference registration, Ag Day, and the FFA banquet. The chapter also planned its December meeting and cookie-decorating contest on Wednesday, December 10th, at 6 p.m. in the Escalon High School cafeteria. This meeting includes both the cookie decorating contest and encourages students to wear their best ugly Christmas sweaters. These events are just a small part of what the chapter members enjoy as they continue to strive to improve and work towards greater community involvement and agricultural education for both current and future FFA members.
