Pork News: State Association Food Bank Donations
Here’s a look at recent pork association announcements.
“Give-a-Ham” Challenge Leads to 400 Hams for Gleaners Food Bank by Indiana Pork
Indiana Pork joins the National Pork Producers Council’s “Give-a-Ham” challenge, which is a national social media campaign encouraging pig farmers and others in the pork industry to donate pork in service to the food insecure.
Proudly donating nearly 400 large hams, Indiana Pork delivered the hams to Gleaners Food Bank and immediately were distributed to their mobile pantry.
“With so many Americans still struggling with the effect of COVID and financial challenges, this year’s ‘Give-A-Ham’ challenge takes on special meaning,” says Brian Martin, president of the Indiana Pork board of directors, in a release “Giving back to our communities is a core value of hog farmers nationwide. It’s gratifying to come together as an industry this time of year to serve those in need.”
Other donation stories can be followed on social media through #GiveAHam and #Poundsofham.
Pig Farmers Care for Local Community with 40,000-Pound Donations
Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio pig farmers, through their respective state associations, National Pork Board, and Farmland, a brand of Smithfield Foods, are partnering with country music superstar Luke Bryan’s fall Farm Tour to donate more than 160,000 servings of protein to Second Harvest Heartland and Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio. The donation will help fill the protein gap often faced by food banks and help nourish the food insecure throughout the area, the association said in a release.
With Farm Tour stops across Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota, Second Harvest Heartland and Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio are two of six organizations that will be receiving donations to aid communities in need. The six-location donation will total an estimated 210,000-pounds of pork, which is more than 1 million servings of protein provided to those in need.
Iowa Pig Farmers Address Food Insecurity
For five years, Iowa pig farmers and those in the pork industry have joined pork producers across the country in a “Give-A-Ham” challenge that typically starts around Thanksgiving and runs through Christmas. Over that time, the challenge has reached 6.3 million people across the U.S. with more than 36 million pounds of ham and other pork products being donated to food banks, food pantries, churches, and other food programs.
President of the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), Kevin Rasmussen of Goldfield, challenged others to make donations when he kicked off the Iowa portion of this national giving effort. Rasmussen and his wife Lisa donated 10 4-lb. hams to Upper Des Moines Opportunity, which is a local food bank in Humboldt, IPPA said in a release. Upper Des Moines Opportunity is a network providing food pantries and other services to people in a 12-county area of north-central and northwest Iowa.
