Children at Petty Ranch Farm Lab field trip. Courtesy photo.
SANTA PAULA — Gill’s Onions will match all donations up to $12,500 for every dollar donated to Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) during May as part of SEEAG’s third annual Double Your Impact Challenge.
“The generosity of our friends at Gill’s Onions means SEEAG will receive as much as $25,000 to support our Farm Lab program,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG’s founder and CEO. “Farm Lab is a combination of classroom learning and farm field trips where students learn all about the origins of their food, particularly locally-grown food. The money raised will enable us to reach more students across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.”
Gill’s Onions, based in Oxnard, is one of the nation’s largest family-owned onion growers and processors. Products are sold nationally and include whole, sliced, diced and slivered onions. It is a long-time supporter of SEEAG’s agricultural education programming that has reached over 60,000 elementary school students since its founding in 2008. All SEEAG programs are 100 percent cost-free to schools and students.
“Teaching students about how food is grown and the benefits of eating locally-produced fruits and vegetables is one way to improve the health of our kids,” says Steve Gill, Gill’s Onions president and SEEAG board member. “Once kids learn about the farming and harvesting process and the benefits of fresh produce, they get excited about eating a more healthy diet.”
Double Giving Levels:
—$25 donation doubles to $50 – Print summer camp booklets for 100 students
–$50 donation doubles to $100 – Pack farm-fresh resource bags for 200 students
—$100 donation doubles to $200 – Send 200 students home with vegetable seedlings
—$250 donation doubles to $500 – Fill up the SEEAG van with gas for two weeks of summer camp travel
—$500 donation doubles to $1,000 – Provide fresh snacks and materials for 800 students
–$1,000 donation doubles to $2,000 – Covers the cost of six buses to bring students to Farm Lab
Donations can be made by going to www.seeag.org/doubleyourimpact.
Gill’s Onions also participates SEEAG’s annual Farm Day (November 5 in Ventura County and September 17 in Santa Barbara County). On Farm Day, farms, ranches and agricultural organizations open their doors to the community for an inside look at how food is grown in the county. At their stop at Gill’s Onions, the public learns about how the company grows, packages and ships its onions.
To learn more about SEEAG, go to www.SEEAG.org, Facebook www.facebook.com/SEEAG.org or contact Maranville at mary@seeag.org, 805-901-0213.
About SEEAG — Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is a nonprofit organization that aims to help young students understand the origins of their food by bridging the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming. SEEAG’s “The Farm Lab” program based in Ventura County teaches schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland by providing schools with classroom agricultural education and free field trips to farms. Through this and other SEEAG programs, over 60,000 elementary school students in Central and Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey. For more information, visit www.seeag.org or email Mary Maranville at mary@seeag.org.