37,000 pounds of food delivered by FFA to Community Action

25 organizations will share in the bounty

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion FFA program delivered 37,000 pounds of produce and food to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee this morning. Mickey Edwards (center), the district superintendent, helps out unloading the trucks and trailers. He is carrying a box of ham donated by the Orleans County Farm Bureau. Adele Mathes, an FFA member in the middle school, also helped unload the truck and trailer.

FFA member Abby Ferris holds a thank you sign in appreciation for the local farms and ag businesses that donated.

The donors include Haylett Farm Enterprises, Stymus Farms, Lynn-Ette and Sons, Panek’s, Orleans County Farm Bureau, Kreher’s, Torrey Farms, Brightly’s, Kludt Brothers, Rush’s, Lake Ontario Fruit, Orchard Dale Fruit, Root Brothers, Martin Farms, My-T Acres, Poverty Hill farms, Nesbitt’s, Triple G and Starowitz Farms.

Lyla Neal carries a box of ham that will be stored in a cooler and given out in holiday food baskets.

The FFA started the food drive in 2010 with 3,000 pounds in the first effort. The food drive record is 53,000 pounds in 2020.

Josh Zayac uses a pallet jack to move the produce with some assistance from Rick Standish, the facilities manager for Community Action.

Katrina Chaffee, left, is director of community services and reporting for Community Action and Jeanette Worsley is a case manager.

They said the food drive from the FFA is a big help not only for Community Action but 25 other food pantries and organizations in the area.

Community Action will use some of the produce and items from the FFA for food baskets. Community Action is collecting food baskets and toys for 60 households and 136 children just in Albion this Christmas.

Scott Oldenburg, left, is the Albion FFA advisor. Kaitlynn Basinait, second from left, is the FFA president.

Kaitlynn, a sophomore, said the FFA looks forward to the food drive every year.

“It helps the community out,” she said.

She and other FFA members called the farms and businesses to see if they would donate, and then checked in again to help schedule a drop off at the school or arrange for the food to be picked up.

Kaitlynn said the farms are very gracious in setting aside for the annual collection.

FFA member Oliver Beach helps unload heavy bags of cabbage from a tractor trailer truck.