The giving season: how Ontario farmers care beyond the fields
Article and classroom lesson ideas this month.
Farming is built on caring – caring for the land, for animals, and for people. It’s an important job that helps feed us all. Did you know Ontario farmers grow and raise more than 200 farm and food products? They include grains, fruits and vegetables, cheeses, a range of meat, and beverages. That’s a lot! And it all helps keep us healthy and strong.
Ontario grain farmers help strengthen food security in Canada. It’s a huge responsibility! Grain farmers work hard spring, summer, and fall, so you may think they’d rest during the winter. But they are still busy operating their farms in winter—farms are a business, after all. Their contributions don’t stop at the farm driveway; they also contribute to their communities.
During winter, farmers keep their businesses running – and they keep helping others, too. Many farmers join food manufacturers, grocery sectors, and transportation companies to support Ontarians in need, often through groups like Feed Ontario. Some donate grain products or money from their harvest to local food banks, school nutrition programs, hospitals, and local residents.
Farmers are community-minded and often will go out of their way to help others. Besides providing food, many farmers also use their equipment to plow driveways for neighbours, help deliver feed to farms, volunteer at community dinners, and participate in community charity drives and events. They also contribute, individually or through agricultural organizations, to charities and other worthwhile endeavours all year. For example, Grain Farmers of Ontario provide scholarships for Ontario students and fund innovation development at universities.
The holiday season is a special time to show we care. Farmers remind us that helping others can take many forms — sharing what we grow, giving time, or lending a hand when it’s needed most. This season, we can all find ways to do the same.
How can you help in your community this winter?
Happy Holidays
Classroom connection
This story can be shared as a December classroom read-aloud or informational text. It helps students explore themes of community, kindness, and real-world connections to food and farming.
Discuss:
Who are the helpers in our community? How does what farmers do inspire us to give back in our own way?
Before reading:
Ask: What do you think farmers do in winter?
During reading:
Pause to highlight words like grain, community, donation, and food security.
After reading:
- How do farmers help their communities during the holidays?
- What are some ways we can help others?
- Why is food important to caring for people?
💡 Try this:
Create a “Helping Hands” wall — each student traces their hand and writes one way they can help others this season.
Or, work together to plan a small act of kindness as a class.
📘 Curriculum links:
- Language – Oral Communication & Writing: Purposeful communication and reflection
- Social Studies – Heritage & Identity: Communities in Canada
- Health & Physical Education – Healthy Living & Community Connections
