Missouri Youth Turn Livestock Projects into Meals for Families Through Missouri Farmers Care’s Hogs For HUnger
Youth exhibitors at the Missouri State Fair chose to make an impact beyond the showring by donating their market hogs through Missouri Farmers Care Foundation’s Hogs for Hunger, a pillar of the Drive to Feed Kids.
This year, 32 exhibitors donated 50 market hogs, joining fellow Missouri 4-H and FFA members to provide an estimated 36,125 servings of nutritious, high-quality pork for Missouri food banks to support families experiencing food insecurity across the state.
“One of the greatest lessons young people learn through livestock projects is the value of caring and giving back,” said Ashley McCarty, Executive Director of Missouri Farmers Care. “Hogs for Hunger allows exhibitors to take the hard work they’ve invested all year and turn it into meals for families who need them most. Their generosity reflects the very best of Missouri agriculture.”
The donated pork was processed by Kempf’s Custom Butchering in Sedalia before being distributed through Feeding Missouri’s network of food banks. Processing costs are covered through the Missouri Farmers Care Foundation’s Drive to Feed Kids, made possible by ADM, Brownfield Ag News and partners from across Missouri agriculture with support from Feeding Missouri.
“Hogs for Hunger reflects some of Missouri’s best values: hard work, generosity, and a commitment to helping our neighbors,” said Leigh Anne Haun, Executive Director of Feeding Missouri. Through our partnership with Missouri Farmers Care, donated livestock provides nutritious protein to families experiencing food insecurity while demonstrating the positive impact Missouri agriculture can have on communities across the state. We’re grateful to the partners who make this program possible.”
The Missouri Farmers Care Foundation Drive to Feed Kids is made possible through the generous support of Missouri agriculture and business partners, including: ADM, Brownfield Ag News, American Family Insurance, Missouri FQHC Rural Health Network, Show-Me America 250, Nutra-Blend, MFA Incorporated, FCS Financial, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, The Poultry Federation, Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation, Smithfield Foods, Missouri Farm Bureau, Martin Rice, Missouri FFA Foundation, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, Hunter’s Moon Run N Gun, Home State Health, Missouri’s Electric Cooperatives, PivotBio, Beck’s Hybrids, Missouri 4-H Foundation, Missouri Pork, and the Missouri State Fair Foundation.
To learn more about Hogs for Hunger or how to participate next year, visit http://www.mofarmerscare.com/hogs-for-hunger.
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MISSOURI FARMERS CARE is a joint effort by Missouri’s agriculture community to stand together for the men and women who provide the food and jobs on which our communities depend. The coalition of more than 40 leading Missouri agricultural groups promotes the growth of Missouri agriculture and rural communities through coordinated communication, education and advocacy. https://mofarmerscare.com/
MISSOURI FARMERS CARE FOUNDATION enables Missourians to understand the influence and importance of agriculture in their daily lives by serving as the centralized hub of the unified educational programs, awards, and hunger relief efforts of Missouri’s agricultural community.
DRIVE TO FEED KIDS IS MORE THAN JUST A FOOD DRIVE. Launched in 2017, the Drive to Feed Kids builds collaborative partnerships among nonprofits, farmers, and agribusinesses committed to addressing food insecurity across the state. To learn more, including how to get involved in 2027, visithttps://mofarmerscare.com/drive/.
