Photo courtesy of IPPA

In February, the Iowa Pork Producers Association launched the new Pork in the Pantry program which reimbursed county producers up to $1,000 for food donations to local food banks. The program ended in April, with more than 50,000 meals provided for underprivileged Iowans across the state.

Forty county pork producers participated in the program during its inaugural year, including Washington, Henry, Johnson, and Jefferson Counties. The Washington County Pork Producers partnered with Bud’s Custom Meats in Riverside to serve nine different food pantries in the county, while the Henry County Pork Producers teamed up with Crawford Meat Plant and Mt. Pleasant Hy-Vee to donate pork products to Community Action, The Fellowship Cup, and additional food pantries in New London, Winfield, and Wayland.

Food pantries are frequently short of meat, however through the Pork in the Pantry program county pork producers helped provide high-quality protein meals to food-insecure Iowans. Additionally, the Iowa Pork Producers Association reimbursed participating organizations, totaling nearly $40,000.