Oct. 22 - 29 was no ordinary week. In fact it was an incredible one that occurs only once a year. That was the week that 13 Los Ba&#241;os FFA members went to the National Convention/Washington D.C. Leadership Tour, courtesy of the Los Ba&#241;os Ag Boosters.</p><p>The National FFA Convention is like no other. Thousands of corduroy jackets immersed in the sessions, like an ocean of blue and gold. Members from all over the nation with an interest in agriculture and a passion for FFA. Key note speakers who aim to inspire and national officers who lead our association so well.</p><p>It is an amazing experience to be able to attend the National FFA Convention and a memorable one. Our chapter is unique in that our members not only get to experience the excitement of the National Convention held in Indianapolis, Ind., but they also get to see the sights. While in Indiana, they visited the Indy 500 speedway and "kissed the bricks" for good luck. After Indiana more excitement begins.</p><p>Our members traveled to Washington D.C. to experience the history of our nation by visiting monuments such as the World War II memorial, The Abraham Lincoln Monument, and the Washington Monument. They also went to the Smithsonian, the Crime and Punishment Museum, the Holocaust Museum, Arlington Cemetery, and many more historical sites.</p><p>The trip is an amazing opportunity presented to Los Ba&#241;os FFA members by the Los Ba&#241;os Ag Boosters and we are eternally grateful to them and the trip coordinator Mr. Orr, as we get to experience the National FFA Convention and learn more about our country.</p><p><b>Canned food drive</b></p><p>Paying it forward is a philosophy of Los Ba&#241;os FFA.</p><p>The community has given so much to us, so we seize every opportunity to give back.</p><p>At the Nov. 3 FFA meeting we held a canned food drive for those less fortunate in our area. Our chapter raised more than 1,000 cans of food for the hungry. We submitted the number of cans we contributed to our community to the National FFA as part of the Million Can Challenge. It is the goal of the National FFA to raise a million cans this year to give back to our communities. Los Banos FFA is proud to report that as of when we submitted the total number of cans we contributed, we were the highest raising chapter in California.</p><p>Los Ba&#241;os FFA members take great pride in being able to contribute to a community that has always been there for us and we are going to continue to pay it forward. If you have any cans that you would like to donate as part of the Million Can Challenge, please contact the Los Ba&#241;os High School Ag Department at (209) 826-4080.