Midwest Food Bank receives pork donation

IL Pork, Corn, and Soybean groups present the Midwest Foodbank with a donation that will support the on-going efforts of Gridley Meats providing more than 13,500 pounds of donated pork. Pictured left to right are: Donna Jeschke, IL Corn Marketing Board member; Mike Haag, IL Pork Producers President; Mike Hoffmann, Midwest Foodbank; Steve Ringger, Gridley Meats; and Dan Farney, IL Soybean Association Board member. (Photo courtesy Illinois Pork Producers Association)

Illinois commodity groups are helping to support those in need through a large donation of pork to the Midwest Food Bank.

The donation is part of the Illinois Pork Producers Association’s Pork Power program, where they have worked with Central Illinois food banks including Midwest Food Bank with the support of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and Illinois Soybean Association since 2008.

“We actually work with producers who donate animals and get them processed and get the meat into the system and hopefully to the people who need it the most,” said Mike Haag, president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association.

This donation about 13,500 pounds of pork was a milestone.

“The unique thing about this donation is it kind of marked the milestone of about a million servings that we’ve provided to families throughout Illinois in the last four years,” said Haag, who farms near Emington in Livingston County.

The donation of meat is very important to food banks because it is difficult for them to obtain.

“If you talk to any of the food banks and any of the food pantries, that’s exactly what they are short on is a good, constant protein source that they can count on to fill that plate up and really be the center portion of that plate,” Haag explained.

The Pork Power program gives producers throughout the state an opportunity to donate animals, and the commodity organizations pay for the processing so that the meat can be distributed throughout the state.  The logistics is the biggest challenge.

The need has consistently increased over the past four years since the Pork Power program began.  Donations are accepted all year long, but the main time for donation of animals is May through October.  To learn more about how to support the program financially or otherwise, visit the Illinois Pork Producers website at www.ilpork.com.

To hear the interview with Mike Haag, click here:

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Carrie Muehling can be reached at carrie@wjbc.com.