Food for America: Plainfield agriculture program feeds and teaches
By Cassie Lennox
A group of third-grade students at Tri-County Elementary School in Plainfield made their way through the school hallways in a single-file line. Some students stopped to sniff the air, which smelled of salty, homemade potato chips.
“It smells so good,” they said to each other, craning their necks to look into the classroom and walking a little faster to reach the food as soon as possible.
The third-graders were attending the Food for America event, held Friday, Nov. 17, at the Tri-County school in Plainfield. The event is put on by older Future Farmers of America (FFA)/Agriculture students who set up four different stations to teach the younger students how to make food and where the ingredients come from. This year’s four food stations were butter, potatoes, smoothies and ice cream.
“Food for America’s goal is to teach the third-grade students where their food comes from, and to give them the tools to engage in healthy and fun food choices,” said Zeth Engel, Tri-County teacher and coordinator of Food for America. “At the end of the day the students get to take home a mini cookbook of recipes that they can use at home with their families.”
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