Rocky Ford, Colo. – The Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation announced today that chapters of the National FFA Organization may obtain up to 5,000 free Porcelain Doll pumpkin seeds to grow and sell pumpkins to raise funds for breast cancer research.
This idea for this offer came after an FFA member reached out to the Foundation. Maggie Roth, age 15 and an enthusiastic member of the Holcomb FFA Chapter in Holcomb, Kan., discovered the Foundation and their mission of combating breast cancer when she was searching for a project for her FFA chapter. Maggie then contacted the Foundation and expressed her interest.
“The FFA motto is ‘learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, living to serve,’ and I knew that if this foundation inspired me, many of my fellow FFA members would be inspired as well,” said Roth. “I was shocked when I heard that breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women and that one in every eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life. And as many of my relatives have had cancer, this is a very personal cause for me. I believe the money the FFA chapters as a whole can raise will bring us closer to finding a cure.”
“Maggie is such a special young lady and I am really excited to be collaborating with her,” said Don Goodwin, president of the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation. “Her enthusiasm and take-charge attitude will inspire other FFA chapters across the U.S. to join us in the fight against breast cancer, a disease that so many of us have unfortunately experienced personally.”
This spring, FFA chapters interested in growing pink pumpkins as a fundraiser can obtain free Porcelain Doll seed (the seed which produces pink pumpkins) from Seedway. The individual chapters will grow and sell pink pumpkins during the season and donate at least 50 percent of pumpkin sale proceeds to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation to be used for breast cancer research grants at the end of the year. The balance of the sales can be used at the chapter’s discretion to cover growing expenses, support other charitable causes, or they may choose to donate it all to the Foundation.
The pumpkins will be available for purchase through FFA fundraisers, as well as national retailers and at local pumpkin patches in time for both Halloween and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
For additional information about the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation and its pumpkins, please visit our website at www.PinkPumpkinPatch.org.
This program is also available to 4H and school agriculture programs nationwide that are interested in participating.
About the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation
The Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation was created in 2012 to aid in the fight against breast cancer. The foundation is made up of America’s pumpkin growers have committed to giving a percentage of proceeds from every pink pumpkin sold to organizations involved in breast cancer research. The foundation will oversee the donations and ensure that the funds go directly to reputable organizations with the highest percentage of dollars spent on actual research.
About National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is a national youth organization of 557,318 student members as part of 7,498 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at www.FFA.org, on Facebook, Twitter and the official National FFA Organization blog.
Source: Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation
