(courtesy photo)

A donation through America’s Farmers Grow Communities program is boosting the STEM program at St. John Bosco School. Grow Communities allows farmers to support area causes important to them.

Schools, emergency response organizations and youth programs are among the top three organizations that farmers choose. Maricopa County farmer Teri Root won the opportunity to select a cause and present its leaders with $2,500.

St. John Bosco will use funds to purchase a set of interactive software modules allowing students to get hands-on learning experiences in the world of chromosomes, the periodic table, gravity, geography and more. Recipients often use the funds for classroom resources, agricultural youth programs, lifesaving equipment or feeding the hungry.

“We are thrilled with this grant to bolster our STEM program with new, interactive programs to offer our students across all grade levels. We are beyond grateful to Maricopa County Farmer Teri Root for directing these funds to our school, allowing us to educate our K-8th students with fun, creative learning modules and remain competitive in this rapidly-expanding field of science and technology,” said, Anita Petitti, principal, St. John Bosco Catholic School.

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The Grow Communities program’s purpose is to make a positive impact in farm communities by partnering with farmers to support the causes that are important to them in their communities. Each year, farmers enter for a chance to win a $2,500 donation that they direct to a local nonprofit.

Since the program began in 2010, farmers have directed more than $26 million in donations across a broad cross-section of organizations that reflect the makeup and character of rural America, including food banks, emergency response organizations, schools, youth agriculture programs and many others.

“Farmers have directed funds to more than 8,000 community organizations across rural America since Grow Communities began,” said Al Mitchell, Monsanto Fund president. “Farmers are truly committed to this program because they see the difference the donation makes in their community.”