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Local farmer wins $5000 for the Sharing Bucket and Ignite Youth Ministries
Ruby Keith got a call from the Monsanto Company urging her to apply for a grant which would give money to her choice of non-profit organizations in her community, a $2,500 grant each.
"I was asked who I would give it to if I received it. Not long after, they called and said my name had been drawn out," Keith said in an interview.
Ruby Keith and her husband, Bill, are farmers with over 250 acres on their farm, which is the criteria to be eligible for the America's Farmers Grow Communities grant, said Chock Scammon, territory sales manager with the Monsanto company. This grant is drawn from Monsanto's philanthropic fund.
Ruby Keith knew who she wanted to give money to because of her personal involvement in the two local organizations: $2,500 was given to The Sharing Bucket and $2,500 was given to Ignite Youth Ministries.
Ruby Keiths' involvement with The Sharing Bucket began when she found out she has cancer.
"I was diagnosed on a Friday, came home, and they were at my home on Saturday morning. They brought me food and money...they were so good," Keith said of The Sharing Bucket.
The Sharing Bucket has a mission to provide friendship and support through emotional and financial assistance to individuals who are cancer survivors and their caregivers.
Joy O'Neal thanked the community and the Keiths for caring and sharing with cancer patients at the check presentation ceremony during the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Coffee Thursday.
Keith's family is also involved in the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, with Ruby Keith helping in the youth group at the church, Ignite Youth Ministries. In fact, her granddaughter, Samantha Racy is in the youth group. The money given the youth group will be going towards mission trips this summer, said Jeremy Culbertson, youth pastor at the Nazarene church.
"We are pleased that she chose us and excited that she won," Culbertson said.
America's Farmers Grow Communities gives farmers this opportunity to win a $2,500 donation to direct to their favorite local non-profit organization. To further support counties that have been declared by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, to be disaster areas due to the drought, winning farmers in these counties were able to double the donation, a total of $5,000 to further support the community. Bourbon County was declared a disaster area by the USDA, giving Keith the opportunity to place two $2,500 donations in two different non-profit organizations.
The Monsanto fund has disbursed grants in 39 states, giving over $5 million to communities non-profit organizations, which includes double donations for counties suffering from the historic drought, according to a news release from the Monsanto Company.