Thousands of Dollars in Ground Pork Donations will Provide Meals for Iowa Families
Thousands of dollars worth of ground pork were donated to local food banks. Here are all the details.
As thousands of Iowa families face tough choices without their usual SNAP benefits, Fareway Stores, Inc. and the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) have stepped up for their community. Together, they donated around $20,000 worth of ground pork (roughly 9,500 lbs) to local food banks in Iowa and western Nebraska. The companies made the donation in an effort to combat food insecurity, which is on the rise in the Hawkeye State.
The ground pork will provide over 38,000 servings of protein, which, according to the executive director of the Iowa Food Bank Association, Linda Gorkow, will “make a tremendous difference for the families we serve.” Protein donations are considered extremely valuable as they help create nutritious meals. For Aaron Juergens, who currently serves as president of the IPPA, and who is an Iowa pig farmer himself, the donations were “about caring for our neighbors.”
Juergens told Vinton Newspapers, “This effort is about more than just delivering pork — Through the We Care principles, Iowa pig farmers are committed to supporting people, animals, and the communities we call home. Working with partners like Fareway and our state’s food banks allows us to help ensure families have access to nutritious, high-quality protein.”
How the deliveries were made
The Iowa Pork Producers Assocation’s pork deliveries were made between October 28 and 29 to the following locations:
- River Bend Food Bank – Davenport
- Food Bank of Iowa – Des Moines
- HACAP Food Reservoir – Hiawatha
- Food Bank for the Heartland – Omaha, NE
- Food Bank of Siouxland – Sioux City
- Northeast Iowa Food Bank – Waterloo
Fareway Stores, Inc. provided the necessary resources to help facilitate deliveries to each of these food donation centers. According to Vinton Newspapers, funds that were previously raised at IPPA’s annual event, BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark, helped make the ground pork donations possible. Fareway’s VP of retail market operations, Jeff Cook, said, “Fareway is proud to partner with Iowa’s pig farmers and the Iowa Pork Producers Association to help fight food insecurity across our state.” He added, “Providing ground pork to local food banks aligns with our long-standing commitment to supporting Iowa agriculture and strengthening the communities we serve. Together, we can make a meaningful difference for families in need.”
This isn’t the first time that IPPA has given back to its community, and it won’t be the last either. The organization runs the Pork in the Pantry initiative, which donates pork products to food pantries across Iowa throughout the year. Aaron Juergens spoke about the importance of this program as well, saying, “Fighting hunger is one of the most meaningful ways we can live out our We Care commitment. We’re proud to see Iowa’s pig farmers stepping up again and again to make sure no one goes hungry.”
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