The Great Plains Food Bank today received two significant donations in a single day, strengthening efforts to provide meals to thousands of children, seniors, and families across North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota. This comes at the perfect time as the organization celebrates Hunger Action Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness about hunger and inspire our communities to take action.
Protein remains one of the most requested yet hardest-to-secure food items for families facing hunger. To help meet this need, North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) and Farmers Union Enterprises (FUE) donated 35,000 pounds of ham from FUE’s Redwood Farms in Estherville, Iowa. Redwood Farms supplies premium pork products to high-end restaurants in cities like New York and Chicago, and now this high-quality protein will help nourish families across the region.
“Food banks and food programs have a tremendous impact on individuals and families who need help putting food on the table,” said NDFU President Mark Watne. “As farmers, we want to help stop hunger in our communities and feel blessed that our organization is able to make this donation.”
Later in the day, Hornbacher’s presented a check for $46,969.81 from its annual Checkout Hunger campaign, which invited customers throughout July to make donations at the register across all eight Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo stores. This gift pushes the total Checkout Hunger contributions to more than $1 million since the campaign began. Combined with Hornbacher’s December Feed Hope campaign, the company has now given over $2 million to the Great Plains Food Bank along with over 13 million pounds of food donations over the years.
“These generous gifts demonstrate the incredible impact of both community partners and individual actions,” shared Marcia Paulson, Chief Development Officer of the Great Plains Food Bank. “Whether it’s a producer donating protein, or a grocery store rallying customers to join the movement – every action matters. We are beyond grateful for North Dakota Farmers Union, Farmers Union Enterprises, and Hornbacher’s for stepping up in their own way to support our communities. Together, we can help ensure no neighbor has to face hunger alone.”
These two donations underscore how big and small actions alike can add up to powerful change.
