A group of farmers in Cass County are reaching out to help farmers in Sierra Leone, Africa. The Cass County Cluster is participating in a Foods Resource Bank growing project. They have donated land and the profits they make from growing crops on that land will go to their Sierra Leone project.

"Our Cass County Cluster project is a project of Catholic Relief Services," says Vicki Compton, director of the Office for the Missions, who is responsible for CRS projects in the Springfield diocese. "CRS is working in conjunction with the Foods Resource Bank."

The farmers represent four Catholic parishes in Cass County: St. Alexius, Beardstown; St. Fidelis, Arenzville; St. Augustine, Ashland, and St. Luke, Virginia. Father Christopher Brey is their pastor.

Growing projects do not ship food or grain overseas; rather they grow agricultural crops, raise livestock, grow gardens, and then market what is produced locally, and send the proceeds to support the designated CRS project.

Because not everyone is a farmer or lives in a farming community, the Foods Resource Bank's growing projects help educate and involve others in the community in helping people in developing countries to grow lasting solutions to hunger, Compton says.

The Cass County Cluster is sponsoring a Harvest Festival at Clayville, Sunday, Oct. 2, from 3 to 6 p.m., and encouraging everyone to come out to join them at the free event to have fun learning more about its Foods Resource Bank project in Sierra Leone.

At the Harvest Festival there will be wagon rides, children's games, tours of historic Clayville, hot dog roasting, cookies, lemonade and ice tea. Eric Mattson, from the Foods Resource Bank, will be there to give a presentation on the grassroots energy and commitment of the U.S. agricultural community which has the capability and desire of farmers and landless people in developing countries to grow lasting solutions to hunger.