TILLAMOOK, Ore. — Tillamook County Creamery Association’s (TCCA) “All For Farmers” partnership with American Farmland Trust has earned a 2021 Gold Halo Award in the Best Activism/Advocacy Initiative category. The Halo Awards are North America’s highest honor for corporate social initiatives and cause marketing.
To combat the financial challenges facing farmers that were only heightened by the COVID-19 crisis, TCCA announced in September 2020 that it would contribute 10% of Tillamook® brand product sales during the month* to American Farmland Trust (AFT), a national, not-for-profit organization with a mission to save America’s farms and ranches by protecting farmland, promoting environmentally sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on the land. On National Farmer’s Day, October 12, 2020, TCCA made good on its pledge by announcing a total donation of $1.6 million to AFT, supporting the new Brighter Future Microgrant Program. The funds went toward providing financial relief directly to 130 farmer grant recipients in 25 states and preserving 8,500 acres of at-risk farmland for future generations.
“We are honored to have our efforts recognized by Engage for Good. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the challenges in our food system, including the ongoing struggles of all farmers across America,” said Sue Kapllani, Vice President of Marketing, TCCA. “As food consumption shifted to in-home throughout 2020, we were in a position to help the broader farming community who were left without markets for their crops with many restaurants and food service operations closed down. The All For Farmers initiative and new Brighter Future Microgrant Program with American Farmland Trust was directly inspired by our values-led belief to ‘Do right by food, our communities and the future of farming – always.'”
To draw attention to the effort and help consumers better understand the truly essential nature of farming and the diverse communities contained therein, TCCA partnered with Eva Longoria, an award-winning actor and longtime advocate for farmers and farmworkers. The brand also profiled the stories of a diverse group of farmers across their website and social channels, and invited consumers to thank a farmer on social media.
The TCCA honor was announced at the Engage for Good Virtual Conference on May 25-27, 2021. A total of 20 awards in 10 categories were given to programs deemed among the best social impact campaigns of 2020. This marks the 19th year that Engage for Good has recognized businesses and nonprofits with Halo Awards for doing well by doing good.
“Examples of positive corporate social impact were among the meaningful silver linings to be found during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said David Hessekiel, President, Engage for Good. “It’s a pleasure to shine a light on outstanding efforts like this that helped society weather such a difficult time.”
*10% of sales, up to $1.6 million
About Tillamook County Creamery Association
Founded in 1909 as a farmer-owned cooperative, Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) recently achieved the distinction as a Certified B Corporation® (B Corp™) and prides itself on its commitment to bringing to market the most consistent, best tasting, highest quality dairy products made in the most natural way possible. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves real food that makes them feel good every day, TCCA produces internationally recognized, award-winning cheese as well as exceptional ice cream, butter, cream cheese spreads, yogurt and sour cream, made with unwavering values that never sacrifice or compromise quality for profit. TCCA is owned by almost 80 farming families, primarily based in Tillamook County, Oregon. TCCA operates production facilities in Tillamook and Boardman, Oregon and employs more than 900 people throughout the state. The Tillamook Creamery is the largest tourist attraction on the coast of Oregon and one of the most popular in the state, attracting more than one million visitors each year. For more information on TCCA and Tillamook products, visit Tillamook.com.
About Engage for Good
Engage for Good, producer of the Engage for Good conference and Halo Awards, helps business and nonprofit executives succeed together by providing practical information and inspiration, opportunities to build valuable relationships and recognition for outstanding work engaging employees and consumers around social good and cause-related marketing efforts. A wealth of information on cause marketing, corporate social impact programs and Engage for Good’s offerings can be found at http://www.engageforgood.com
About American Farmland Trust
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through its No Farms, No Food® message. Since its founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families. Learn more at https://farmland.org/.
