The Iowa Pork Producers announced this week that Association’s Pork in the Pantry program was responsible for more than $43,000 worth of donations.

Organizations from 38 different counties participated in this year’s effort, including Washington, Henry, and Jefferson. The Pork in the Pantry program allows these organizations to purchase up to $1,000 of pork and donate it to food pantries within their respective county. The Iowa Pork Producers Association then reimburses them up to that $1,000.

Vice President for the Washington County Pork Producers, Jennie Greene, spoke with KCII about the organization’s willingness to participate for the second-straight year. “I think as pork producers, we’re super proud to go beyond the farm and make an impact. We take pride in supporting our community, and I think participating in this program aligns directly with that.”

This year, the Washington County Pork Producers purchased the food from Bud’s Custom Meats in Riverside and were able to deliver 355 total packages of ground pork to nine different food pantries in the County.