KANSAS CITY – To kick off its national forum meeting, the pork industry announced today that nearly 40,000 servings of pork will be donated to Harvesters – The Community Food Network. The donation, made by Prairie Fresh® Pork on behalf of attendees at the industry’s annual meeting, will help fight food insecurity in the Kansas City area. It highlights farmer commitment to the We CareSM ethical principles, which include a focus on caring for their communities.
“Helping to fight food insecurity in our local communities and across the United States is important to all pig farmers,” said David Newman, president of the National Pork Board and a pig farmer representing Arkansas. “The donation allows us to live out our We Care commitment during Pork Forum while providing safe and nutritious pork to those in need right here in Kansas City.”
Harvesters serves a 26-county area, including Kansas City, where one in eight individuals is food insecure. Children are often the most in need of food, with one in six children in Harvesters’ service area being food insecure. Only 57% of food-insecure children qualify for federal nutrition programs, meaning that 43% of food-insecure children and their parents are ineligible for federal assistance.
“Our producers at Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods believe it’s important to support our communities,” said David Eaheart, senior director of communications and Prairie Fresh brand marketing at Seaboard Foods. “We are happy to make this donation on behalf of attendees of the National Pork Industry Forum, especially in Kansas City, where Prairie Fresh® Pork is headquartered.”
For more information on pig farmers’ commitment to giving back to their communities, visit porkcares.org.
The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. Importers of pork products contribute a like amount, based on a formula. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, science and technology, swine health, pork safety and sustainability and environmental management. For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-7675 or check the Internet at pork.org.
