Eggs For Honduras
When the Fairfax, MO Growing Project began in 2007, Amelia Larson was just a sparkle in her parents’ eyes. Now she’s a high school senior who has become an important contributor to the project.
A few years ago, Amelia decided to raise chickens as part of her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) with FFA and donate the eggs to the local Growing Project. She started out using a recycled chicken house at her grandparents’ house for the first year and later worked with her dad to build a new house for the hens. She still uses the old house for brooding chicks each spring and doesn’t cull the old hens until the new chicks lay consistently enough to ensure a regular supply of eggs. She has upgraded the feeders and waterers over the years and it has become a lot easier as she’s learned how to keep the house at the right temperatures and manage the light the hens get. All of the feed is donated and Amelia buys the chicks, so all of the profits are donated to the Growing Project.
She currently has 36 Rhode Island Reds and five Production Blue hens that produce an average of 18 dozen eggs per week. She has regular customers at church and from the community who purchase the eggs. “Our customers are very aware that all gross egg sales are donated to Growing Hope. Some will leave $3 a dozen and others will leave $5 or more a dozen. All the feed is donated and the girls buy the chicks,” said Amelia’s mom, Theresa.
Amelia and her family attend Fairfax Methodist Church and work alongside other farmers, including the Sefrits who farm 10 acres and the Graves who farm 5 acres, to make the Growing Project a success. Together as a congregation, they support the Honduras Macuelizo program, which also includes a chicken raising component, something Amelia understands well.
When asked what motivated her to donate her FFA SAE proceeds to Growing Hope Globally, Amelia said, “I grew up in a privileged household and I know not everyone has that. I didn’t think this project would get as big as it did. I thought it was amazing to have the support of my church. It’s not just making a difference in my community, it’s making a difference internationally. Knowing that it is helping other people in other parts of the world is my favorite part.”
Although Amelia graduates in May, her family is committed to continuing the Eggs for Honduras project, either with her younger sister Caroline taking it over as an FFA SAE or with her parents stepping in to keep it going. In fact, they’ve already ordered 60 chicks for the coming year.