Courtesy photo.
OXNARD — Duda Farm Fresh Foods will match all donations up $10,000 for every dollar donated to Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) in the month of May during SEEAG’s “Duda Farm’s Double Your Impact Challenge.”
Duda Farm Fresh Foods is a big supporter of SEEAG’s agricultural education programming that has reached over 40,000 elementary school students in Southern California. “Our continued support of SEEAG acknowledges the confidence and appreciation that we have for the educational seeds SEEAG sows every day,” says Dean Diefenthaler, Duda Farm Fresh Foods vice president. “SEEAG’s outreach teaches our youth about agriculture’s important sustainable and health benefits to our community, our country and the world we live.”
“We are grateful for Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ support of our mission,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG founder/CEO. “This $10,000 donation could not have come at a better time. When they challenged us to raise $20,000 we could not resist because we can’t wait to get back into the classroom and to lead farm field trips once school resumes. Until then, we are conducting online learning with our series of Sprouting Minds Webinars and Let’s Grow a Garden 2020! at-home garden program.”
All “Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ Double Your Impact Challenge” matching donations go toward student learning.
Double Giving Levels:
–$25 donation doubles to $50 – impacts 50 students who will participate in SEEAG’s online “Sprouting Minds” education webinar during May
–$50 donation doubles to $100 – impacts 120 students who will receive a Ventura County Child Wellness Initiative AG resource and produce swag bag in May
–$100 donation doubles to $200 – provides 200 students with a healthy snack during a Farm Lab field trip during the 20/21 school year.
–$250 donation doubles to $500 – provides two school buses to Petty Ranch during the 20/21 school year
–$500 donation doubles to $1,000 – Provides all 3rd grade classes at two school with SEEAG classroom and field trips during the 2020 – 2021 school year
–$1,000 donation doubles to $2,000 – Provides shade structure, tables and hands-on educational materials at a Farm Lab station; donor sign displaying family name or company logo
Donors at the $100 and above levels will receive a jar of Bennett’s Honey. Donations can be made by going to http://seeag.org/duda-challenge.
“During the COVID-19 crisis, we’re seeing how much we rely on a continuous supply of fresh vegetables and fruits,” says Maranville. “Understanding and appreciating the food production process and the nutritional value of our local crops creates lifelong, healthy eating habits for kids and families.”
With a state-of-the-art celery processing facility in Oxnard, Duda Farm Fresh Foods primarily sells its celery under the Dandy product name. Duda Farm Fresh Foods participates in SEEAG’s annual Ventura County Farm Day (scheduled for November 7), where farms, ranches, and agricultural organizations open their doors to the community for an inside look at how food is grown in the county.
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 40,000 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.