To help spread the message of Soil and Water Stewardship Week, April 24 through May 1, Tama Soil & Water Conservation District will be holding its annual Grocery Sack Contest. 314 area students participated in this event last spring.

The 2016 activity will be open to third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms in six local school districts: South Tama, Meskwkai Settlement, Dysart-Geneseo, North Tama, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, a and Green Mountain-Garwin. Homeschooled students are also invited to participate.

The 2016 theme will be “We All Need Trees,” which stresses the influence of trees on our air, water, shelter, food, clothing, and soil.

As in past years, the grade winner at each participating school will receive a $5 award. One overall, countywide winner will receive $10 and an airplane ride over Tama County next summer.

Watch for the message of trees on renewable paper grocery sacks at Fareway in Toledo and other grocers in the county.