Send Back-to-School Boxes to Agriculture Educators in Your Community

Show Your Appreciation for Educators Who Teach Students About Agriculture

Agriculture teachers are laying the foundation for the next generation to learn about the role farmers have in our communities. To help share positivity and encouragement to agriculture educators in Pennsylvania and beyond this August, consider sending a back-to-school box through the Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow (DLT) program. With a $35 donation to the Dairy Excellence Foundation, individuals can send a box to an agriculture educator in their community.

New this year, the boxes will be cheese-themed and include: Cheese grater, poster for classroom about food science featuring different cheeses, food coupons courtesy of The Painterland Sisters Yogurt, Backpack Yogurt, cheese stress reliever, pizza cutter, magnetic cow bookmark, pens, pencils, sticky notes, and other surprises. Individuals can also include a personalized note of gratitude and encouragement.

“These back-to-school boxes continue to be a great way for the entire dairy industry to come together and show our appreciation for agriculture educators at the start of the school year. Whether you’re a dairy producer, a community member or industry professional, thanks for considering this opportunity to help us share positivity and encouragement to as many educators as possible this August,” said Michelle Shearer, Workforce Development Manager at the Dairy Excellence Foundation.

All donations must be made by July 31, 2026 to ensure boxes arrive to educators by the end of August. Visit www.dairyleadersoftomorrow.com/send-a-box or call 717-346-0849 to send a box by July 31. The DLT Program is managed by the Dairy Excellence Foundation to help prepare high school students to work in the dairy industry through industry-recognized courses, scholarship opportunities, and on-farm experiences.

Individuals can send boxes to specific teachers of their choice if they know the educator’s mailing address. If they do not know the mailing address or do not have a specific teacher in mind, the Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow team can mail the boxes to teachers in your county. Several individuals across the dairy and agriculture industries have supported this initiative over the past three years.

Here are some ideas for how to send the boxes and encourage agriculture educators:

• Dairy producers can send boxes to agriculture educators in a nearby district, thanking them for their work teaching students and encouraging them to reach out if they ever want to tour or connect with a working dairy farm.
• Businesses and organizations can share their appreciation for ag educators in their community and ask the Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow team to choose teachers in their county to receive boxes.
• Parents and neighbors can send boxes to their adult children or friends who are ag educators to help them start the school year off on a positive note.
• Educators can pair up and send boxes to each other as a fun back-to-school gesture.

“The opportunity to partner with Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow to acknowledge our ag teachers is a very natural fit for the Berks County Department of Agriculture. The end result goes a long way in acknowledging the effort that these professionals put into sustaining the ag industry,” said Kimberly Fies from the Berks County Department of Agriculture, one of the sponsors for the boxes over the last two years. “The students who they are instructing and exposing to all things agriculture are the key to a successful future for one of the leading industries in the county and state. Our hope is that we will continue to build our collaborations with [agriculture educators] going forward, and these boxes are a great gesture.”

Sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses that are interested in supporting agriculture educators or providing items for the back-to-school boxes. Contact Jayne Sebright at jsebright@centerfordairyexcellence.org to learn more about these opportunities.

“Thank you so much for the box of goodies and sweet note. It means more than words can say and was such a kind surprise. The program and I are so blessed to have people like you in our community,” shared Carissa Cleven, an agriculture educator from Wisconsin who received a box last year.

Visit www.dairyleadersoftomorrow.com/send-a-box/ or call 717-346-0849 to send a box by July 31, 2026. If you have questions about the back-to-school boxes or the Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow program, contact Michelle Shearer, Workforce Development Manager, at mshearer@centerfordairyexcellence.org or by phone at 570-768-8316.

All proceeds from this campaign will benefit agriculture educators and the Dairy Excellence Foundation, which manages the Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow program. The DLT curriculum is available at no cost to high school educators thanks to support from sponsors and donors. The DLT program includes four main courses: Introduction to Dairy, Introduction to Dairy Herd Management, Introduction to Dairy Business Management, and Introduction to Dairy Technologies. Teachers can incorporate these courses into their classroom instruction or assign to high school students to complete independently.