The Brightside: Lake Forest Alumni & Supporters
HARRINGTON, Del. – A group of Lake Forest High School alumni, supporters, and community members are growing their organization in hopes of fostering a positive learning environment for those interested in agriculture. Which in turn, supports the local farmers who have deep roots in Kent County.
Julie Murphy, a member of the organization and a Delaware native has seen firsthand what this support has done for her three kids. Whether providing scholarships or getting students connected with ag-related resources and other local farmers. “They come together, they support their kids, they support the local high school, they support the local 4Hs and (Future Farmers of America) FFAs.”
While the farming community supports the students, in turn, the organization along with students shows support to farmers in a unique way. “We want to spotlight our local farmers and the produce and the meats that they provide for us every day,” says Murphy.
Their big fundraiser event every year, which we’re told is becoming a staple in the Kent County community, is the Lake Forest FFA Alumni and Supporters Farm to Table. Murphy tells us, “Our meats are coming locally, our vegetables are coming as local as we possibly can 58 trying to showcase what our local farmers and our local agriculture can provide for us.”
Held at the Harrington Volunteer Fire Department, the event features a homegrown meal while supporting small businesses, and also showcasing students’ work for auction. “We are very fortunate to have the FFA program that we do with the exceptional advisors and community support that we do.”
Murphy tells us, that while the agriculture industry has always been prevalent in the community, she remembers a time when farming wasn’t looked at as a viable industry. With some of their efforts, we’re told they’re hoping to continue changing that stigma. “In the times passed, we have found that they had to do a lot of things the hard way and were efficient and were effective, and that is the back bone of our community now,” says Murphy. She adds, “I think we need to pay attention to them, we need to be grateful for them because they are offering us information and we can glean all kinds of things from them that are going to last for years to come.”
All proceeds from the event go back to the students and the organization which in turn helps fund scholarships and other ag-related resources.
For more information about their farm-to-table event, you can visit Eventbrite. To learn more about their efforts, you can head on over to their Facebook page.
