A non-profit livestock producer in Greene County recently gave a sizable donation to the local food pantry in Jefferson.

The Greene County Pork Producers participated for a second consecutive time in the “Pork in the Pantry” program with the Iowa Pork Producers. Alyssa Juergensen, who is with the Greene County Pork Producers, says they gave a total of $2,000 worth of pork items to the Greene County Action Resource Center (ARC). She states that the Iowa Pork Producers will partner to donate up to $1,000 through this program, as long as the pork is purchased and is given to a food pantry locally. She talks about the importance of the local Pork Producers organization for the youth and individuals who want to give back to their community and be involved and active with a group of people.

“We have a board of ten from throughout the county that are involved in the industry in different ways. And then we also have eight other individuals that will grill at different events throughout the year as well. So hopefully, people are seeing them as mentors and will aspire to be involved and contribute towards the community when they’re able to as well.”      

ARC Manager Shirley Haupert was excited to have one of the largest protein donations to help feed their ever-growing number of clients.

“This is fantastic! We didn’t know what to expect when they called and said, ‘A donation was going to be available for us, but we’re very glad. This should probably last us four or five months.”  

The donation included 500 pounds of pork loin, 145 pounds of ground pork and 125 pounds of sausage.