Farmers help their communities with food bank donations

With Christmas a few days away, it’s time to recognize farmers

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

As Christmas inches closer, final preparations are being made across dinner tables North America-wide for the seemingly endless supply of food and desserts that will cover them.

However, there are many families who rely on food banks to supply their Christmas meals. Through the generosity of farmers donating their products to food banks and their commitment to supporting their communities, all families have the opportunity to enjoy a full holiday meal.

Here are a few examples of farmers putting their communities first by donating to local food banks:

• On Dec. 16, California Department of Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross celebrated “Farm to Food Bank Month” in Fresno. Approximately five million people in California, or 13.5 percent of the population, use food banks. Farmers in California have donated nearly 150 million pounds of food to food banks in 2015.
• In September, dairy farmers in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley agreed to donate $100,000 in milk within the next year.
• Chicken Farmers of Ontario’s Food Bank Donation Program helps farmers donate 300 chickens each to local food banks. The organization’s annual target is for farmers to donate a total of 100,000 chickens.
• On Dec. 12, New York Farm Bureau announced that 11.6 million pounds of food and farm products were donated in November – enough food for nearly 10 million people in New York.

Farms.com would like to thank farmers for donating their time, efforts and products to those who need it most; especially around the Christmas season.