Randolph student enjoys the fruit of her labors in annual fundraiser
Trisha Benton
Randolph Times
RANDOLPH — Jessa Backer went bananas selling fruit for the annual Randolph FFA chapter fundraiser.
The Randolph High sophomore sold 69 ½ boxes of fruit this year. That’s fruit by the thousands - oranges, apples, pears, grapefruit - and even jerky and popcorn, smashing the previous record for total number of boxes sold.
“This year I went all out,” she said. “I knew if I sold a lot of boxes it would help our chapter and encourage other kids to sell more, too.”
The chapter works with Jim’s Food Center to secure the fruit and the fundraiser has been a mainstay for the last 40 years or more. The minimum number of boxes each FFA member is tasked with selling is eight, said FFA Instructor Craig Flaming.
Backer was content with completing the minimum by selling to a few family and friends in year’s past.
But this year she hit the sales trail the same day the fundraiser forms were passed out. After school that day, she drove around town, hitting up everyone she knew and people she didn’t know, too. Then, she messaged people on Facebook and through text message. She even drove to Norfolk to sell there as well.
As she turned in orders, she knew she was selling a lot, estimating about 40 boxes or so.
When she found out she tallied 69 boxes, she was really surprised – and overwhelmed.
“It’s like my Dad says, ‘Selling is the easy part – just wait until you have to deliver it all,’” she said.
For her fruit-selling efforts, Backer’s name was engraved on the Addison Villwok Fundraising Award. The previous record had stood at 48 boxes. Villwok still holds the record for the total volume of boxes sold over her career in FFA, Flaming said.
Although some friendly competitions spring up among the 31 current FFA students (eighth through 12th grades), they’re focused on the goal at hand and the purpose of the fundraiser, he said.
The chapter’s annual budget for the year is $25,000 which doesn’t include the contribution from the school.
“That’s where the importance of kids selling lots of fruit comes into play,” Flaming said.
The money covers contest supplies and registration fees; travel and hotel rooms for state and national conventions; leadership training opportunities for officers; and fun chapter activities like
T-shirts and food for meetings; among others.
Students who belong to FFA come from varied backgrounds and the organization strives to grow student’s leadership skills as well as an appreciation of agriculture, Flaming said.
“We have the traditional farm student all the way to students who literally have lived in town their entire life, their parents have lived in town they’re entire life, with no connection to agriculture,” he said.
Backer said it’s her role as the FFA treasurer to be that leader that younger students can look up to and she hopes she’s inspired other FFA members to step up their fruit sales next year.
She may have even inspired herself to break her own record. For Backer, that would be the cherry on top.
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