In some areas of rural Missouri, one in three children face food insecurity regularly. To address this insecurity, Missouri Farmers Care, agricultural leaders, and FFA members joined together at the Missouri State Fair to top off the 2023 Drive to Feed Kids.
Narrowing the gap for those facing hunger in the state, over 1.2 million meals were raised.
“Farmers and ranchers work 365 days a year to responsibly and sustainably produce abundance from our farms and ranches,” said Ashley McCarty, MFCF executive director. “The Drive to Feed Kids addresses the disparities where that abundance doesn’t reach our neighbors’ dinner tables. We are honored to again partner with Missouri agriculture, agribusiness, elected leaders, and Feeding Missouri to make a positive impact in the lives of our food-insecure neighbors.”
During the Missouri FFA Day of Service earlier this month, hundreds of FFA members flocked to the fair with agricultural leaders to pack 160,000 meals.
Missouri 4-H members also provided resources for 711,286 meals earlier this year during the 4-H Feeding Missouri Campaign.
“The Missouri FFA Day of Service is an incredible opportunity for members across the state to give back to our community. It is super exciting to see members exemplifying what ‘Living to Serve’ truly means when packing meals this year,” said Sam Tummons, Missouri State FFA president.
Swine exhibitors at the Missouri State Fair also participated in the Hogs for Hunter Initiative. After showing their hogs at the fair, exhibitors donate their pigs, which are butchered at Kempf’s Custom Butchering to be processed and distributed around the state.
This year, a record number of hogs — 42 of them to be exact — were donated to help feed families in need.
»Related: If the American farmer is here to address hunger, why are there still hungry people in the U.S.?
