[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 12, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E195-E196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                T.C. ROBERSON FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES H. TAYLOR

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 2003

  Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
the T.C. Roberson High School Future Farmers of America organization 
and their teacher, Lonnie Johnson. The organization was recently 
recognized in the November/December 2002 issue of New Horizons magazine 
for their efforts to help poor and elderly individuals by participating 
in MANNA FoodBank's Plant a Row for the Hungry project. Through their 
hard work, these outstanding high school students provided hundreds of 
pounds of fresh vegetables to needy individuals throughout western 
North Carolina. The T.C. Roberson High School Future Farmers of America 
organization was also recognized in a July 8, 2002 editorial and a July 
5, 2002 article in the Asheville-Citizen Times, which I am happy to 
share with my colleagues.

            [From the Asheville Citizen-Times, July 5, 2002]

              Future Farmers Raise Crops for Those in Need

                           (By Barbara Blake)

       Skyland.--Lonnie Johnson can almost see the smiles on the 
     faces of the elderly people who will soon be eating fresh 
     corn, beans, tomatoes, squash and peppers his horticulture 
     students are growing out at Roberson High School.
       And thinking about the pleasure these nutritious vegetables 
     will bring to those senior citizens and others who live on 
     the edge of hunger brings a smile to Johnson's face.
       ``Elderly people go crazy with fresh produce,'' he said. 
     ``A lot of these people don't get much fresh, and we're going 
     to be giving them hundreds of pounds all the way up into 
     September and October. And we won't stop then--in the fall, 
     we'll plant our fall garden with greens and cabbage and 
     turnips and broccoli, and we'll keep it coming.''
       Those are sweet words to the staff at MANNA FoodBank, which 
     will receive the vegetables from the Roberson students and 
     immediately distribute them to the poor and hungry in Western 
     North Carolina as part of the nonprofit's Plant a Row for the 
     Hungry project.
       Johnson, who formerly was the horticulture teacher at the 
     Swannanoa Valley Youth Academy, started the Plant a Row 
     project on that campus two years ago, providing MANNA with 
     nearly 2,000 pounds of produce.
       Early in the spring, Johnson found his Future Farmers of 
     America students at Roberson equally interested in 
     participating. So they worked together to plant more than one 
     row for the hungry after clearing brush to make beds, working 
     the soil and carefully planting seeds--all while learning 
     about all things gardening and horticulture.
       Throughout their summer vacation, students have come one, 
     two or 10 at a time to replant, weed, water and, now, harvest 
     the vegetables of their labor.
       ``It's fun--I like to work with my hands,'' said rising 
     sophomore Levi Dowdle, peering into a bushy hill of squash 
     loaded with yellow flowers and tiny fruits. ``I like seeing 
     how much stuff has grown, and how fast it grows, and how much 
     time different things take.
       ``And,'' he said, ``I like helping people.''
       This produce will defintely help people, according to Kitty 
     Schaller, director of development at MANNA, which netted more 
     than 15,000 pounds of donated produce from local gardens last 
     year.
       ``Lots of times during the year, we're able to access 
     produce because it's not in great condition. But this puts 
     the freshest stuff in the hands of the agencies that need 
     it--and the need is great,'' Schaller said.
       ``This is first-quality stuff, and as soon as it comes in, 
     it goes out.''
       Schaller said the Youth Academy and the Roberson FFA kids 
     are the only two schools formally involved with the Plant a 
     Row for the Hungry project, and said she hopes other schools 
     will take part.
       ``We love having children do this, because it establishes a 
     pattern for them--making a connection with the soil, making a 
     connection with hungry people,'' Schaller said. ``We're 
     grateful to the folks at Roberson for taking this on, and we 
     hope other schools will decide to do it as well.''
       Schaller said MANNA also is grateful for more informal 
     donations of fresh vegetables, ideally between 8 a.m. and 
     3:30 p.m., weekdays.
       ``But if someone needs to come on Saturday, they can call 
     and we'll make special arrangements,'' she said.
       ``While we emphasize the `plant a row' concept, we also are 
     very, very welcoming of people's excess produce, even if it's 
     just excess,'' Schaller said. ``It's a lot of people doing a 
     little amount that really makes a difference--and a few 
     people doing extraordinary stuff.''
                                  ____


            [From the Asheville Citizen-Times, July 8, 2002]

     Roberson's FFA Good Sign of Bright Future for WNC Citizenship

       Thanks to a group of Future Farmers of America at Roberson 
     High School and their teacher, Lonnie Johnson, poor, elderly 
     people in Western North Carolina will be benefiting from one 
     of summer's greatest pleasures--a bounty of fresh, homegrown 
     vegetables.
       As any backyard gardener knows, nothing tastes as good as a 
     ripe, freshly picked tomato. And nothing is more nutritious 
     than homegrown vegetables that are eaten soon after they were 
     harvested.
       Johnson and his students decided to participate in MANNA 
     FoodBank's Plant a Row for the Hungry project, but they 
     planted more than a row. They're growing corn, beans, 
     tomatoes, squash and peppers. Before coming to Roberson, 
     Johnson taught horticulture at the Swannanoa Valley Youth 
     Academy, where he started a Plant a Row project two years 
     ago. That project provided MANNA with nearly 2,000 pounds of 
     produce.
       ``Lots of times during the year, we're able to access 
     produce because it's not in great condition,'' said MANNA's 
     Director of Development Kitty Schaller. ``But this puts the 
     freshest stuff in the hands of the agencies that need it--and 
     the need is great. This is first-quality stuff, and as soon 
     as it comes in, it goes out.''
       The project benefits not only those whose consume the 
     vegetables, it gives young people an opportunity to learn 
     about gardening. Throughout their summer vacation, students 
     have come singly and in groups to replant, weed, water and 
     harvest the vegetables. They're learning more than practical 
     horticultural skills.
       ``We love having children do this,'' pattern for them--
     making a connection with the soil, making a connection with 
     hungry people.
       The Youth Academy and Roberson FFA are the only two schools 
     formally involved with the Plant A Row program, Schaller 
     said, but she'd love to see others participate.
       As for Johnson, he gets a lot of satisfaction thinking 
     about those who will relish the vegetables his students grow.
       ``Elderly people go crazy with fresh produce,'' he said. 
     ``A lot of these people don't get much fresh, and we're going 
     to be giving them hundreds of pounds all the way up into 
     September and October. And we won't stop then--in the fall, 
     we'll plant our fall garden with greens and cabbage and 
     turnips and broccoli, and we'll keep it coming.''
       Kudos to Johnson and his students, who have pointed the way 
     for other schools. But in this time of fiscal austerity, 
     participating in the Plant A Row project is a tremendous and 
     inexpensive opportunity for anyone who has a garden spot to 
     give a great bounty to

[[Page E196]]

     those in need. Seeds are inexpensive and with a little tender 
     loving care they become a nourishing gift beyond compare.
       Schaller said MANNA is also grateful for more informal 
     donations of fresh vegetables, preferably between 8 a.m. and 
     3:30 p.m. weekdays. So, if your garden is producing more than 
     you can possibly preserve, consider a donation to MANNA.
       You'll have the joy of imagining, as Johnson does, the 
     pleasure your gift will bring.
                                  ____


                  [From New Horizons, Nov./Dec. 2002]

          T.C. Roberson High School Future Farmers of America

       Here in Asheville, a city of 60,000 people in the hills of 
     western North Carolina, the MANNA Food Bank feeds people in 
     need across a 19-county area. They do their best to keep food 
     moving to soup kitchens, the elderly, child daycare centers 
     for families with low incomes and anywhere else where people 
     have trouble putting food on the table.
       A few years ago, Lonnie Johnson, the Roberson FFA Chapter 
     advisor, heard about MANNA's ``Plant a Row for the Hungry'' 
     program, where local citizens donate a portion of their 
     garden vegetables to the food bank.
       Johnson recognized the opportunity and pounced on it. 
     ``There are people in our community who have needs, and if we 
     can help meet those needs, then there's a lot of learning 
     that can go on.'' Johnson says.


                            Breaking ground

       Roberson FFA members quickly latched onto the project. For 
     many, it's a hands-on component for horticulture class. For 
     others, it's afterschool volunteerism.
       Jacob Laughter, a junior who currently serves as FFA 
     chapter president, has been at Roberson High since the 
     project began. ``I got to break ground for the beginning of 
     our garden with our new Troy-Bilt tiller. I was also part of 
     the seeding process, where we dug small holes to plant our 
     seeds.''
       Senior Jenny Stove, the FFA chapter secretary, is just glad 
     she has the opportunity to be involved. ``I think I love to 
     work in the garden more than all else,'' she says. ``Behind 
     our greenhouse, we have corn that grows mile-high, spinach 
     that the local rabbits eat, onions, collard greens cucumbers 
     and zucchini.''
       It's fresh vegetables like these that are considered 
     delicacies at the food bank, where most of the food 
     distributed is packaged in cans and boxes. ``People really 
     get excited when they get fresh produce,'' Johnson says.
       While this modest, one-third of an acre garden isn't 
     breaking any records for size, everything from the garden is 
     donated to the food bank. So far, the small parcel of ground 
     has yielded hundreds of pounds of vegetables, and counting.
       Deborah Stines, a junior, likes the harvest best. ``I enjoy 
     working in the garden because I like to pick the vegetables 
     and be able to say to myself, `Hey, I planted this, and it 
     grew!' '' When the time for harvest arrives, the FFA crew 
     loads and drives the procedure to MANNA's loading dock, where 
     workers eight the load and give the students a receipt.


                              in the news

       The chapter's efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Editors at 
     the Asheville Citizen-Times caught wind of the FFA chapter's 
     project in July. In a lengthy editorial, they had this to 
     say: ``Kudos to Johnson and his students, who have pointed 
     the way for other schools.'' After this appeared in the 
     newspaper, the phone in the agriculture shop started ringing.
       As a result of the editorial, people from the school and 
     the community called and wanted to visit the garden. ``It 
     just perked them up and made them feel good,'' Johnson says. 
     Soon thereafter, a local television station and the school's 
     own televised news program quickly picked up the story.
       While these FFA members appreciate the positive publicity 
     their FFA chapter his received, they realize something more 
     important is happening. Their gardening project has built 
     public awareness of hunger--a move that will put Asheville, 
     and the world, a few steps closer to making sure everyone has 
     enough food to eat.


                           in their own words

       Krystal Dorsey, a sophomore, didn't have any community 
     service experience a couple of years ago. ``After working on 
     this project,'' she says, ``I started to realize how 
     important it is to do things for others, as well as how 
     awesome it feels.''
       Jessica Stouder, a junior, echoes those sentiments: ``It 
     makes me glad to see that if students are working like this 
     to help a cause here in little Asheville, then think of the 
     big difference we could make all over the country.''

                          ____________________