Statement issued Tuesday:
Indiana Pork, in partnership with Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Inc., donated 5,000 pounds of ground pork to Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana today.
It is the first delivery of approximately 90,000 pounds of pork earmarked for northeast Indiana. The pork donation is the beginning of a bold, ambitious and ongoing campaign for Indiana pork producers, industry partners, friends and the general public to fund a program to donate pork products to Hoosiers experiencing hunger.
This initiative is designed to help thousands of Hoosier families with one of their most essential needs – high quality protein.
The lofty goal of the campaign is to provide one million ground pork meals per year, throughout the year, to those in need. These pork meals will be distributed statewide through the nine food bank members of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Inc., Indiana’s statewide network of food banks.
"Indiana pork producers saw the need in the state and they came to us with a plan to provide one million pork meals per year. This isn’t a one-time commitment. They want us to rely on them for a significant donation of pork every year!" said Jane Avery, Community Harvest Food Bank Executive Director. "They’ve always been generous but this really couldn’t have come at a better time for us. 90,000 pounds of pork will go a long way towards helping our hungry neighbors in northeast Indiana as we head into the winter heating months especially. We couldn’t be prouder of our association with Indiana Pork."
"Indiana donations of pork products have been in place for decades, however, this is the first time the Indiana pork industry is tackling the problem of hunger on a coordinated statewide basis," said Randy Curless, Indiana Pork President.
The program was formally announced at the Indiana State Fair this summer. "Indiana is blessed with a rich and abundant agricultural economy. There’s no reason anyone in our state should go without a meal," says Michael Platt, Executive Director of Indiana Pork. "We’re encouraging all of our partners in agriculture to join us to help make Indiana the first hunger free state in the nation."
www.indianapork.com
www.feedingindianashungry.org
www.chfb.org
