Program Connecting Hogs With Hungry Families Now Part Of Larger Drive
The adage “necessity is the mother of invention” proved true last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The first wave of infections impacted meatpacking plants, severely reducing slaughter capacity, while the sudden shift to staying at home threw millions out of a job and into food insecurity. Missouri Farmers Care executive director Ashley McCarty reflected on how the state’s ag leaders devised a solution.
Missouri Farmers Care has grouped Hogs For Hunger into their long-running Drive To Feed Kids, which McCarty says has made significant progress in tackling child hunger in rural communities.
McCarty says this year’s program will include an opportunity for 4-H and FFA exhibitors to donate their show animals to the cause when they’re done competing. Last year, Missouri farmers donated enough hogs to produce 318,000 servings of pork.