The Food Effect, the North Carolina Pork Council's (NCPC) campaign against childhood hunger, is receiving a $14,000 donation from funds raised at the Council's North Carolina State Fair restaurant.
The money, part of the proceeds from the Pork Council's Pork Chop Shop featured annually at the fair, will be divided equally among the state's seven Feeding America food banks.
Ann Edmondson, the NCPC's director of communications and marketing, noted, "We actually had 13,558 customers this year and this enabled us to give more than a dollar per customer."
For more than two decades, the Council has trained its volunteers to serve pork products to state fairgoers, while representing the state's pork industry and its more than 46,000 employees.
This year, a new component was support of The Food Effect, an on-line campaign sponsored by the NCPC to combat the state's growing problem with childhood hunger. The $14,000 share of proceeds is being donated to the food banks under the banner of The Food Effect campaign.
Deborah Johnson, chief executive officer of the NCPC, explained, "Childhood hunger in our state is a concern for all of us in the pork industry and we decided to help solve the problem with The Food Effectand its partnership with the food banks. Statistics show that North Carolina is among the lowest ranking states in the nation relative to hungry children, and that is a shame."
The Food Effect unites social networks in the fight against childhood hunger in North Carolina and the crippling impact it can have on children's development. All donations made to The Food Effect are passed through to the state's food bank network.
Kay Carter, executive director of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in Charlotte and president of the N.C. Association of Feeding America Food Banks, said, "In our state, more than 20 percent of children are going hungry, and continues to worsen in this tough economy. Because of the generosity of the Pork Council and patrons of the Pork Chop Shop, we will be able to provide approximately 100,000 additional meals to children in need."
Carter added, "We're enormously grateful for this donation and all that TheFood Effect has done to raise awareness about this critical issue throughout North Carolina."
The campaign's website, (www.TheFoodEffect.org) allows people to give money or time to the food bank in their area via one of N.C.’s seven regional food bank organizations, and to increase awareness of the childhood hunger issue on various social networks.
As is the case each year, the Pork Chop Shop attracted thousands of returning customers choosing among chopped barbecue plates and sandwiches, pork loin plates and sandwiches and hot dogs.
This year, the more than 13,500 customers were served 2,156 pounds of pork loin, 2,550 pounds of barbecue, 320 pounds of hot dogs and more than four tons of trimmings.