McNeil FFA broke ground on their Giving Garden on April 1, 2014 at the MHS farm facility.

The chapter plans to donate produce from the Giving Garden to students at Forest North Elementary through the Backpack Coalition. After they donate the first crop, students plan to sustain the project by selling half of all the produce and donating the other half.

“This project really embodies what FFA is all about,” said advisor Larry Vinklarek. “We want this to be as much of a hands-on experience as possible. Students will do things like hand water and pull weeds in the garden. With students learning to better identify plants and testing the soil to determine what nutrients might be deficient, these actions fall in line with our classroom TEKS. We know this garden will be a big success.”

Members have divided into four committees to tackle all the details of the initiative.  They will research crops, design and construct the beds and irrigation system and plan the marketing and public relations for the garden, as well as general oversight.