Mid-Ohio Foodbank has teamed up with 4-H and county fairs to put locally-raised meat on the tables of our hungry neighbors.
In Ohio, one in six people do not know where their next meal is coming from. The need is even more crucial for children—with one in four battling food insecurity. To ensure that families who are struggling to get access to more protein, Mid-Ohio Foodbank, 4-H, and county fairs are continuing the Animal Donation Program.
Animals will be selected at county fair auctions. Once a buyer wins the auction and pays the premium bid and market value, they can donate the animal to Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Mid-Ohio will handle transportation and the harvesting and processing fees. Donors will receive a donation receipt for a possible tax deduction. Last year, the Animal Donation program brought in more than 10,000 pounds of protein from the Franklin County Fair and Hartford Independent Fair.
These contributions do more than feed families. Oiler Meat Processing in Licking County established a relationship with Nationwide Children's Hospital and the lungs, heart and esophagus from donated animals are used to better prepare doctors to perform life-saving procedures on children. “It's a great feeling to know the animals we receive can help people in this way,” said Linda Oiler, owner of Oiler Meat Processing. “By saving the airways from the hogs, doctors are able to learn how to save children who are choking.”
To get involved in the Animal Donation program, please contact Dave Daniel at (614) 317-9470 or DDaniel@Midohiofoodbank.org. To learn more about the work of Mid Ohio Food Bank, check out their website.