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During the pandemic, Lauren Schroeder noticed that there was a shortage of fresh produce at a food drive in her hometown of Wheatland, Iowa. So when her family gave her a half-acre plot of land to grow a garden on, the teen knew just what she wanted to do with the vegetables she would grow.
Over the last two years, Schroeder, a junior at Calamus-Wheatland High School, has generously donated 7-thousand pounds of produce from her personal garden to area nonprofits. She also secured a grant from the Future Farmers of America, allowing her to expand her garden to a full acre and is now growing over 20 varieties of veggies and herbs.
Schroeder says that helping people out makes her happy and with her family’s support, she hopes to bring her total donations to 20-thousand pounds by the time she graduates in 2025. Her family couldn’t be more pleased with her. “How could you not be proud,” said Schroeder’s mom, Katie, “She really chose to focus on learning about agronomy, learning about gardening, learning about vegetables, but just really taking it to the next level and actually helping people out with it.”
Source: KWQC