Friends of The Reporter help Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank
Several weeks ago, owners of The Reporter decided to bring back the tradition of printing comprehensive 4-H results in a special publication that will be filled with an abundance of color photos of 4-H kids and their projects.
Then, when Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank (HCHFB) Director Anita Hagen asked for help raising fund for the annual “Meating The Need” program, things got really interesting.
“After I spoke with Anita, I asked the other owners about donating a percentage of our advertising revenue to Meating the Need, and of course they all jumped at the chance,” Reporter Publisher Stu Clampitt said. “When we spoke to community leaders and business owners about it, the response was overwhelming.”
On Saturday, July 16, The Reporter presented a check to HCHFB to help feed families in need in Hamilton County. It was the largest single donation check the program has ever received.
“This is one of the biggest community wide projects Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank leads each year and we are so proud of the 4-H families, donors, volunteers, and community spirit that make it all possible,” Hagen told The Reporter. “Thank you again so very much for your extra effort in helping us with our Meating the Need donations this year! This additional $3,000 will be just phenomenal in helping to provide protein to the 24 pantries who will receive the meat this year.”
Reporter Owner Ray Adler said the newspaper is just doing what it should.
“This is exactly what newspapers are supposed to do,” Adler said. “Don’t thank us. Thank everyone who said yes when we asked them to pitch in.”
24,270 people in Hamilton County are food insecure, and 6,340 of them are children.
According to Hagen, the 24 pantries, all located in Hamilton County, who will receive fresh local hamburger and sausage from this year’s Meating the Need project are located in every area of the county, from Carmel to Atlanta, Fishers to Sheridan and all points in between. Each will receive approximately 200 pounds of local meat.
“Meating the Need serves as the prime example of what communities can accomplish when people work together to do good things,” Reporter Owner and Circulation Director Isaac Taylor said. “It’s yet another reason why Hamilton County is special, and The Reporter is proud to be a part of it all.”
“In 2022, over 33 donors have helped to fund this project,” Hagen said. “This does not include the donors who have contributed through The Hamilton Reporter. During the 4-H Fair I am reminded how farmers help feed the world, and how projects such as this can feed our neighbors.”
In the six previous years of Meating the Need, 22,611 pounds of meat, or the equivalent of over 90,444 protein requirements for a meal, have been distributed to food pantries in Hamilton County. Last year was a new record of 4,825 pounds of meat. With this year’s distribution they will surpass 100,000 portions of protein.
“One of the goals of our stewardship of the Reporter was to always give back to our community,” Reporter Owner and Hoosier Weather Daddy Paul Poteet said. “We are helping directly with our contribution, and of course we help by writing the story of those ‘meating’ needs in Hamilton County.”
Hagen told The Reporter over 30 different 4-H members have participated in the Meating the Need program over the years, many of whom do so every year. 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.
“The Reporter is privileged to be able to support important programs like Meating the Need,” Taylor said. “We make good on our commitments to the people of this county precisely because of the sense of responsibility we share with countless other conscientious businesses and organizations.”
Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry takes care of the processing costs of the Meating the Need every year and has done so since its beginning.
The Reporter wants to stress that the HCHFB donation check was not from the newspaper, but from the numerous people and businesses who gave their support to both bring 4-H results back to print, where they belong.
We think every 4-H kid deserves to have their name in the newspaper. Keep reading The Reporter for updates on those forthcoming 4-H results!
“Some days I really love this job,” Reporter Publisher Stu Clampitt said. “I am deeply proud of this community for stepping up to help HCHFB and Hamilton County 4-H.”