Illinois Farmers Donate Over 100,000 Pounds of Pork to Food Banks
Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) donated 100,263 pounds of ground pork to foodbanks throughout the state in 2019 on behalf of the Pork Power program.
Since its inception in 2008, Pork Power has generated over 721,000 pounds of pork - nearly 3.8 million servings - for families throughout Illinois. Farmers and partnering commodity groups contribute to the program year-round in order to help feed hungry neighbors.
“It is a rewarding feeling knowing that we are supplying communities with vital protein that may be hard to come by,” said Matt Frizzo, an IPPA board director from Gillespie. "Ranging from the South to the North, Pork Power allows us to give back in big ways.”
Towards the end of each calendar year IPPA turns the remaining funds into ground pork and divides it among the regional foodbanks in the state. In the months of November and December alone, over 53,000 pounds were delivered to the regional foodbanks in Illinois as part of the end-of-year giving campaign, just in time for the Holidays. Compeer Financial also contributed to the year-end donations at Greater Chicago, Riverbend and Northern.
“IL Corn really enjoys and feels good about our partnership with IPPA on this important program. As farmers, feeding hungry people is a core value and something that everyone on our board feels passionate about,” said Roger Sy, ICMB Chairman. “To be able to work with our fellow pig farmers to feed hungry people and use more pork, benefits everyone. This is a win-win program that we all feel good about.”
Those who received pork in 2019 were: Greater Chicago Food Depository in Chicago; Northern Illinois Food Bank in St. Charles; Peoria Area Food Bank in Peoria; River Bend Foodbank in Davenport, IA; Central Illinois Foodbank in Springfield; Eastern Illinois Foodbank in Urbana; St. Louis Area Foodbank in St. Louis, MO; Tri-State Foodbank in Evansville, IN; and Midwest Foodbank in Bloomington.
IPPA encourages pig farmers to participate in the program by covering the processing fees of their donated pigs. Farmers can go to ilpork.com to learn more about the donation process. This program would not be possible without the help of local packers and processors across the state.
In 2019, the following processors contributed time and talent towards ground pork donations:
• AJ’s Lena Maid Meats, Inc.
• Behrmann Meat & Processing Inc.
• Dutch Valley Meats
• Eickman’s Processing Co. Inc.
• Enfield Packing Plant
• Hartrich Meat Inc.
• Humphrey’s Market
• Johnson’s Processing Plant
• Jones Meat & Locker
• Korte Meat Processing
• Leiding’s Meats & Catering
• Magro’s Processing Inc.
• Miller’s Meat Market
• Norrenberns Foods Inc.
• Peoria Packing LTD
• Raber Packing Co.
• Salt & Strings Butchery
• Schneider’s Quality Meat
• Schubert’s Smokehouse
• Steidinger Foods
• Trenton Processing Center Inc.
• Thrushwood Farms
• Turkasy Meats
• Vancil Locker
• Wenneman Meat Co.
“We recognize the need for high quality protein is year-round and Pork Power offers a practical way for Illinois farmers to work together to feed our communities,” said Pam Janssen, IPPA president from Minonk.
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