Iowa Teen Decides To Grow An Acre of Vegetables in Her Backyard To Help Provide Nutritious Food To Food Banks

Lauren Schroeder

When Lauren Schroeder, a high school senior from Calamus-Wheatland High School in Iowa, attended a community food drive during the COVID pandemic, she noticed a significant gap in the offerings – a lack of fresh produce.

Determined to make a difference, she decided to take matters into her own hands. With the support of her parents who provided her with half an acre of land, Lauren initiated a project that would go on to yield 7,000 pounds of produce, with an estimated market value of $15,000.

Her selfless endeavor aimed to address the scarcity of nutritious options in food banks and non-profits in the Quad Cities area. Despite her lack of prior gardening experience, Lauren embraced the challenge with passion and dedication.


According to her mother, Katie Schroeder, Lauren absorbed insights from studies in agronomy and gardening to effectively manage the cultivation process. Notably, Lauren is a senior who enjoys tending to cattle and playing softball, making her foray into agriculture and gardening all the more remarkable.

Lauren’s commendable efforts did not go unnoticed either. The Future Farmers of America (FFA), and education-industry organization, took note of her impactful work and extended a small grant for supplies and seeds. With the support of her younger siblings and her own commitment, Lauren spent 2 to 3 hours daily watering and deweeding her fields, ensuring the success of her project.

Her dedication yielded positive results, and Lauren began distributing 15 types of vegetables to various organizations, including Carroll Assistance Center, Wheatland Nursing Home, Café on Vine, River Bend Food Bank, Lost Nation Food Pantry, Family Resources, Lady of the Prairie, and Community Action of Eastern Iowa. The diversity of vegetables contributed to meeting the nutritional needs of different segments of the community.


Lauren told the Washington Post, “It was a really good feeling to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables would be able to get them. I knew that I wanted to keep going.”

Buoyed by the success of her initial venture and encouraged by a second grant from FFA, Lauren expanded her cultivation area from half an acre to a full acre. This expansion also allowed her to diversify the range of vegetable to 20 different species. Undeterred by the challenges, Lauren set an ambitious goal for herself – to donate 20,000 pounds of vegetables by the time she graduates in the coming June.

Her mother Katie gushes, “How could you not be proud, 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.”

 

What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!

True Activist / Report a typo

Popular on True Activist