More than 28,500 chronically hungry students across Oklahoma will receive protein sticks on weekends and school holidays thanks to the 295 animals donated to the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation for the FFA Hunger Challenge during the Oklahoma Youth Expo. The Foundation coordinates the processing of those animals to support the Food for Kids programs at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
“This display of generosity by the FFA and 4-H livestock showing students is truly humbling,” said Jeramy Rich, president of the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation. “Through their generous support, we can continue to provide a valuable protein source to chronically hungry children in all 77 Oklahoma counties.”
The Beef for Backpacks and Pork for Packs programs use donated cattle and hogs to produce beef and pork sticks for the Food Banks’ Food for Kids program. The programs are a collaboration among Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Pork Council, Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Oklahoma FFA, Ralphs Meat Company in Perkins, Chickasha Meat Company, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and the Oklahoma Beef Council.
Together, the two food banks provide backpacks with non-perishable, kid-friendly food to students in 596 schools across all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties.
For more information, contact Amanda Rosholt at (405) 202-1463, or Amanda.Rosholt@aggiving.org.
