Stay Informed

December is National Giving Month, according to the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives, but many of Indiana’s county Farm Bureaus and members make it a practice to give throughout the year.

“Everybody’s in a giving mood during the holidays,” noted Mark York, president of Wabash County Farm Bureau, which makes meat donations to county food pantries twice each year. “But people continue to eat, and we’re trying to fill that need at that time.”

To celebrate the spirit of giving during the season of giving, on this page are examples of just a few of the many community and charitable giving programs that county Farm Bureaus have supported in 2022.

Wabash County – Farmers Who Care

Wabash County started Farmers Who Care six years ago, originally as a way of getting some positive publicity for farmers, York explained.

“At first it was to improve farmer image, but it has evolved into so much more than that,” he said.

Local farmers donate 10 hogs in the fall and 10 in the spring, and these are turned into whole-hog ground pork, explained Scott Dawes, a Wabash County Farm Bureau member who is involved with the program. The pork is then divided into 1-pound packages and frozen, ready for distribution. Approximately 3,600 pounds are donated each year, so in the six years of the program’s existence, more than 21,000 pounds of pork have been distributed in Wabash County.

In recent years, processing has cost almost as much as the meat would have cost. But Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry ( www.hoosiersfeedingthehungry.org), a statewide organization that specializes in providing meat to food pantries and other hunger relief organizations, has paid the cost of processing Wabash County’s pork.

“That is huge,” York said.

The program also helps Wabash County Farm Bureau connect with FFA because the county Farm Bureau gets a lot of help from FFA members, who assist in dividing up the pork and distributing it, Dawes said. The county also found that not everyone knew what to do with the pork they received, so Wabash County now includes recipe cards.

“It started with farmer image – but it’s turned into an educational thing, a community thing, as well as engagement with FFA,” York said.

Orange County – Donation to FFA soils team

Orange County Farm Bureau made a $1,000 donation to the Orleans Jr. Sr. High School FFA soils judging team to assist them in traveling to Oklahoma City, where they competed in the National Land and Range Judging Contest, placing fifth overall.

“Supporting local youth is a top priority for Orange County Farm Bureau,” said Jentzi Lash, county Farm Bureau president. Orleans FFA has a very competitive soil judging team, she said, and they approached the county Farm Bureau for help in funding the trip.

“We have special funds allocated in our budget,” Lash said, and it hadn’t been used for several years due to COVID-19, so the county decided to use some of that money.

Miami County – Quarterly food pantry donations

Many county Farm Bureaus and individual members provide generous support to their local food pantries, and Miami County does as well. The difference is that the county makes regular donations each quarter, spreading its support throughout the whole year.

The county has two food pantries – Macy Food Pantry and Miami County Helping Hands in Peru – and the county Farm Bureau donates $300 quarterly to each.

“That’s in our yearly budget,” said Miami County President Elaine Dragstrem. “It’s just a way of giving back and helping the community.”

The county also participates in the Fairs Care program through the Indiana State Fair, receiving tickets to the fair which can then be used for some charitable purpose. In the case of Miami County Farm Bureau, the organization gives away the tickets in exchange for donations of food.

“We divide the donations between the two food pantries,” Dragstrem said.

Marion County – Donations to multiple county 4-H and FFA chapters

In 2022, Marion County Farm Bureau donated $15,000 to county 4-H chapters and $25,000 to county FFA chapters.

“Our philosophy at MCFB is that it’s all about building relationships and being engaged with our community,” said Marion County President Jack Haefling. “We work hard every day to build our Marion County Farm Bureau brand.”

The county is also a strong supporter of the national Urban County Farm Bureau Coalition Project, donating $10,000 to that project.

To find out more about the charitable activities sponsored by your county Farm Bureau, call your county president or regional manager. Contact information for regional managers can be found here.