WP Rawl, grower, processor and shipper of leafy greens, hosted its fifth and final Katie’s Krops Camp earlier this month alongside its founder, 18-year –old Katie Stagliano. Katie’s Krops is a non-profit, focused on empowering young growers to plant vegetable gardens and donate the harvest to the underserved in their communities.
For the past five summers, WP Rawl has hosted an all-expenses paid camp and invited Katie's Krops growers to travel to South Carolina for. Over 60 participants were handpicked from around the country to attend the camp where growers aged 8-18 received an education in agriculture, attended workshops on growing practices, and learned about budgeting, careers in produce and nutrition.
“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to have spent the past five years at WP Rawl,” says Katie Stagliano. “I have learned so much while making memories with the Rawl family and Katie's Krops growers from across the country. The experience has shaped me as a grower and forever improved Katie's Krops – it’s made us a stronger organization by providing this opportunity to youth across the country.”
One of the most important parts of the final camp took place on the third night when they joined the monthly Katie’s Krops dinner, held in Katie’s hometown of Summerville, SC. For the first time ever, the Katie’s Krops Camp crew participated in the monthly ritual that has become so important to the Katie’s Krops family where they served close to 300 meals to those in need.
The monthly dinners started with Katie Stagliano was only 12-years-old. This amazing group of children has devoted over 600 hours preparing and serving over 2,000 meals at 13 dinners over the past six years. When the only full-time soup kitchen in Summerville shut their doors suddenly for financial reasons, Katie knew she needed to do something to help fill the void for families struggling in Summerville, SC and the Tri County Area. With tremendous support from community members and help from sponsors such as WP Rawl, Katie has served a monthly dinner for the last 6 years without missing a single month.
Katie’s Krops dinner holds its dinners at the Summerville Baptist Church where volunteers serve an average of 200 meals each month. Most guests are families in the community battling food insecurity, homelessness, life altering medical diagnosis and unemployment. Some families simply need additional support at the end of the month as food stamps run out.
“Katie’s vision and story has been a true inspiration,” says Ashley Rawl, vice president of sales, marketing and product development at WP Rawl. “We instantly knew we wanted to be a part of her cause and encourage these young growers and their desire to impact their local communities. Over the past five years, we have shared our growing practices with these growers and it has been rewarding for all of us to see them grow and make a difference in their communities.”
For five years, the Katie’s Krops Camp gave young growers not only the opportunity learn about agriculture and how to best serve their communities, but also provided a focus on nutrition and the benefits of eating fresh.
Contact:
For more information:
Ashley Rawl
WP Rawl
Tel: +1 803 8941900