Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank (HCH) has sponsored its fourth year of “Meating the Need,” a partnership between 4-H Beef, Dairy and Swine projects and HCH.
HCH is a nonprofit organization supporting local food pantries and meal programs year-round in Hamilton County. This year, HCH purchased seven beef and eight swine at the Hamilton County 4-H Livestock Auction on Tuesday, July 23.
In addition, the Hamilton County Community Foundation purchased another swine and beef to add to Meating the Need, and a 10-year 4-H Sheep member donated his lamb. In total this was a record-breaking year for Meating the Need.
(First row, from left) 4-H participants Olivia Long, Valerie Adams, Beth Adams, Avery Hills, Braxton Stalbaum and Zander Dean. (Second row, from left) Ponce and Laura Herrera with America’s Miss Agribusiness, Lynn Pickett with Aroma Methodist Church, Noblesville Township Trustee Tom Kenley, Debbie Diaz with White River Christian Church, George Kakasuleff with Hamilton County Farm Bureau, and 4-H participants Karly Dean and Madeline Teal. (Not pictured) 4-H participants Mackenzie Smith, Ellie Miller, Ethan Miller, Cade Henderson, Maggie Adams, Jenna Peterson, Andrew Holloway, Nate Kavicky, Brady Brennan and Mercedes Schmidt. (Photo provided by Anita Leonard)
The estimated 4,045 pounds of meat will be used to supply 20 Hamilton County food pantries with farm fresh beef, pork and lamb raised by 4-H members. Meat Distribution Day will be Saturday, Aug. 10. The 18 4-H members who have designated their animals for sale to HCH will be helping to feed those families and children in local communities with the equivalent of 20,180 meals of good, healthy protein.
Protein is an item that is often missing from HCH clients’ meals and is hard to provide consistently by the pantries because of cost. When beef and pork are available, the families are appreciative. Donations to this program will go towards the appraised market purchase price of the 4-H animals and to the 4-H members as they pursue their 4-H, education and life goals.
HCH thanks all of the generous donors that have contributed to fully fund this year’s project.
Donors include: St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, White River Christian Church, Arcadia Christian Church with Angels Attic and HHELP, Green Valley Church of Christ, Hamilton County Farm Bureau, Noblesville Township Trustee, Hamilton County Beef Cattlemen’s Association, Delaware Township Trustee, Hamilton County Pork Producers, David and Brenda Day, Bethel Lutheran Church and Food Pantry, Bread of Life Pantry at Venture Christian Church, Open Arms Pantry at Aroma Methodist, Shepherds Gate Pantry at St. Maria Goretti, Sheridan Youth Assistance Food Pantry, Sheridan Lunch Club and Sunflower Pantry at Sheridan First United Methodist, Fall Creek Township Trustee, America’s Miss Agribusiness, Tim and Deborah Foley, Tom and Beth Hooper, Gary and Barbie Vaught, Tom and Sandy Beck, Eric and Beverly Watson, Alan and Sharon Dyck, and the Hamilton County Community Foundation.
Thank you to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, which is donating all of the processing fees for all 18 animals.
HCH welcomes donations year-round to support this initiative. Please send your donations to HCH Food Bank, P.O. Box 881, Noblesville, IN 46061, or visit HCHFoodBank.org and designate “Meating The Need.”