Arizona is one of the top five states with the most food insecure children under the age of 18, according to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.
America’s pork producers are responding today by donating 12,000 pounds of pork to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Phoenix as part of the National Pork Industry Forum, being held in Phoenix March 3-5.
“It is our way of giving back,” says Don Davidson, DVM, president of the Arizona Pork Board and director of production operations for Farmer John. “As pork producers, community involvement is one of the ethical principles we follow. Making this donation is the right thing to do for our community.”
With the combined unemployment and underemployment rates in Arizona remaining at more than 19%, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance will need to distribute 36 million pounds of food into the community in the next six months – or more than 275,000 pounds of food each day.
“We really appreciate the support from America’s pork producers,” says Jerry Brown, communications specialist with St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. “With one in five Arizonans living in poverty and one in seven Americans struggling with hunger, this donation will have a great impact on our community.”
The National Pork Board partnered with Farmer John to make the 12,000-pound donation that is equal to 60,000 meals.
Learn more about pork checkoff-funded programs by calling the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-7675 or log onto www.pork.org.