Courtesy image.
VENTURA COUNTY — An anonymous donor has stepped forward and will match all donations up to $15,000 for every dollar donated to Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG). The “Give the Gift of Agriculture – Double Your Impact Challenge” runs through December 31 with a total fundraising goal of $30,000.
SEEAG’s agricultural education programs have reached over 54,000 elementary school students in Southern California through classroom learning and free farm field trips to SEEAG’s Farm Lab in Saticoy. The programs teach schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland.
Donations will go to support Farm Lab, which has now moved to live online presentations. The Zoom classes are in three, 45-minute modules: an introduction to agriculture, plant and insect science, and water and soil science. The presentations are for third grade classes and are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
“We hope to return to in-class learning and begin offering our farm field trips later this year. Until then, we are very grateful to our donors and their support as SEEAG creates new ways to reach children with our message despite COVID restrictions,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG founder/CEO. “Understanding the impact of eating healthy is more important than ever as kids spend more time at home and exercise less. It’s all about making healthy choices.” To date, nearly 800 third graders and 26 teachers have signed up to participate in online Farm Lab this school year.
Donors of $100 will receive a jar of Bennett’s Honey. Donations can be made by going to seeag.org/give.
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 54,000 elementary school students in 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