Katie’s Krops is proud to announce the ‘2013 Volunteer of the Year’ and the ‘2013 Grantee of the Year’. Katie Smoak , age 17, of Summerville has been named the 2013 Katie’s Krops Volunteer of the Year. Katie is a senior at the Pinewood Preparatory School and has been a dedicated Katie’s Krops volunteer for several years working in the garden and spending the past two years cooking and serving meals for families in need as part of the Katie’s Krops Dinners.

“Katie has been a true leader, supporting and guiding our younger volunteers. Most importantly, Katie gets to know the people we support at Katie’s Krops. She takes the time to talk with them, find about their needs and then addresses them. We are thrilled to have her as part of our Katie’s Krops Crew,” noted Stacy Stagliano, President of Katie’s Krops.

Along with the honor comes a $500 scholarship for her education.

Ted Colwell, age 12, of Wisconsin was name the 2013 Katie’s Krops Grantee of the Year. Ted has been growing with Katie’s Krops for three years. He has grown thousands of pounds of healthy, fresh food for families in need in his community. This year, he has stepped up to mentor new Katie’s Krops growers from Maine to Hawaii. He too received a scholarship for his education.

“Ted has gone so above and beyond what is required of our grantees. He is not only growing an amazing harvest but he is inspiring, supporting and encouraging other young growers,” said Katie Stagliano, Founder of Katie’s Krops.

Both Katie and Ted were surprised with their awards at the first Katie’s Krops Camp, which was held this summer with the generous support of W.P. Rawl. As part of the camp experience, the young growers, along with the support of the regular dedicated Katie’s Krops crew, held a Katie’s Krops Dinner in Columbia. The two young volunteers were honored in front of the 140 guests attending the dinner.