Pig farmers care for local community with 40,000-pound donation to Second Harvest Heartland
Minnesota pig farmers, through Minnesota Pork Board, the National Pork Board, and Farmland®, a brand of Smithfield Foods, are partnering with country music superstar Luke Bryan’s fall Farm Tour to donate more than 160,000 servings of protein to Second Harvest Heartland. The donation will help fill the protein gap often faced by food banks and help nourish the food insecure throughout the area. With Farm Tour stops across Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota, Second Harvest Heartland is one of six organizations that will be receiving donations to aid communities in need.
The six-location donation will total an estimated 210,000-pounds of pork, which is more than 1 million servings of protein provided to those in need. Supporting people and communities in this way are just a few of the We Care® Ethical Principles pig farmers live by.
“Caring for our communities is at the heart of what pig farmers do every day, which is why we are excited to give back at this scale with the support of Farmland® and Luke Bryan,” said Brad Hennen, MPB president. “The state’s 3,000 pig farmers take pride in helping nourish families and communities by raising nutritious food, providing 34,000 jobs and contributing $6 billion in economic value to the state.”
In addition to local donations in Farm Tour communities, Bryan is supporting the pork industry by helping farmers share how their animals are cared for on modern pig farms in the National Pork Board’s latest campaign. Drawing on his childhood upbringing on a Georgia farm, Bryan understands and appreciates the hard work more than 60,000 pig farmers across the United States put in every day.
“I have so much respect for pig farmers,” said Bryan. “I know how hard they work – from sun-up to sundown to raise our food, and it’s exciting to be a part of a project helping show consumers the real care that happens on pig farms around the country.” As the gap continues to widen between the farm and the fork, there is an opportunity to help share the story of people and practices involved in pig farming today.
“Farmland is proud to team up with the National Pork Board and music superstar Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour to support Second Harvest Heartland in its continued work of alleviating hunger in the region,” said Jessica Scarlett, senior associate brand manager for Farmland. “Food banks like Second Harvest Heartland serve a crucial role in strengthening our communities, and Farmland is happy to help supplement its resources to assist in furthering its mission.”
