News Release

INDIANA — Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry is asking for monetary donations to aid their program throughout the upcoming 4-H Fair season.

Founded in 2011, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry partners with various community members and organizations within Indiana to get nutritious meat into hunger-relief agencies and into the hands of residents in need. Livestock and deer are donated through their “Meat” The Need program. Donations are then processed at local participating meat processors and the meat is distributed to hunger-relief agencies within the community.

Executive Director, Debra Treesh, anticipates a greater need for donations this year as SNAP benefits returned to pre-pandemic levels in March. “We have already had more agencies than ever reach out to our program for meat this past year.” Said Treesh. “Food pantries usually get canned and boxed food donated and need to purchase meat to fill in the nutritional gaps. Unfortunately, they are seeing more need for their services and can’t afford to purchase as much meat. That’s where our program can help.”

Last year, donations of livestock from Indiana 4-H fairs alone provided over 78,000 pounds of beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and goat to local hunger relief agencies. The meat from these donations provided for over 300,000 protein-packed meals served through food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens throughout the state. Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry pays for all of the processing fees on these donations, so there is no cost to the agencies receiving meat from the program.

“Fair season is huge for our program,” Said Fund Development Director, Katie DeForest. “Over half of our livestock donations are the results of the 4-H fair season. Thanks to our partnerships throughout the state, the cost to us to process this meat is only about $1.43 per pound. Meat prices have come down a bit since the pandemic, but the Midwest is still averaging about $3.86 per pound for the same type of meat that we provide. This means funds donated to our program can provide about 62% more meat to hunger relief agencies than the same funds spent at the grocery store.”

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry hopes to raise an additional $100,000 statewide through September 2023 to offset the costs of approximately 70,000 pounds of livestock donations throughout the summer.

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry is asking for monetary donations to aid their program throughout the upcoming 4-H Fair season.

Founded in 2011, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry partners with various community members and organizations within Indiana to get nutritious meat into hunger-relief agencies and into the hands of residents in need. Livestock and deer are donated through their “Meat” The Need program. Donations are then processed at local participating meat processors and the meat is distributed to hunger-relief agencies within the community.

Executive Director, Debra Treesh, anticipates a greater need for donations this year as SNAP benefits returned to pre-pandemic levels in March. “We have already had more agencies than ever reach out to our program for meat this past year.” Said Treesh. “Food pantries usually get canned and boxed food donated and need to purchase meat to fill in the nutritional gaps. Unfortunately, they are seeing more need for their services and can’t afford to purchase as much meat. That’s where our program can help.”

Last year, donations of livestock from Indiana 4-H fairs alone provided over 78,000 pounds of beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and goat to local hunger relief agencies. The meat from these donations provided for over 300,000 protein-packed meals served through food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens throughout the state. Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry pays for all of the processing fees on these donations, so there is no cost to the agencies receiving meat from the program.

“Fair season is huge for our program,” Said Fund Development Director, Katie DeForest. “Over half of our livestock donations are the results of the 4-H fair season. Thanks to our partnerships throughout the state, the cost to us to process this meat is only about $1.43 per pound. Meat prices have come down a bit since the pandemic, but the Midwest is still averaging about $3.86 per pound for the same type of meat that we provide. This means funds donated to our program can provide about 62% more meat to hunger relief agencies than the same funds spent at the grocery store.”

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry hopes to raise an additional $100,000 statewide through September 2023 to offset the costs of approximately 70,000 pounds of livestock donations throughout the summer.