PERRY — AgGeorgia Farm Credit recently awarded $55,000 to 12 non-profit organizations as part of the cooperative’s Community Mission Fund. The grant program was established in 2023 to support endeavors that further the future of agriculture and enhance life in rural Georgia. Forty-eight grant applications were received, and awards of up to $5,000 per application were distributed in the fourth quarter.

Colquitt Christian Academy was selected as a recipient and was awarded funds to obtain a storage shed and needed supplies for ag education classes and hands-on learning labs.

“The Community Mission Fund Grant has made it possible for Colquitt Christian Academy to have a storage shed built to safely store insecticides along with gardening tools, chicken feed, and potting soil,” according to Leana Atkinson, CCA agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. “These funds also purchased much needed supplies used to enhance our hands-on agricultural learning lab which consists of raised beds and a chicken coop with chickens. The supplies have helped me teach my students farming principles which in turn have helped my students grow a love for agriculture. As an ag teacher, I am grateful to AgGeorgia Farm Credit for investing in the future of agriculture in our rural community.” 

Atkinson teaches students in 4th-9th grades about the importance of agriculture and said the experience at Colquitt Christian Academy either enhances what students experience at home with rural living, livestock, and plants, or it exposes them to the idea of where their food and fiber actually come from. In addition to creating an educational experience, the vegetables and eggs produced from the hens are donated to the community.