COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mo Beef Kids has teamed up with Feeding Missouri to help combat food insecurity and provide nutrient-rich beef snack sticks to children facing hunger.
In December, they will distribute a total of 90,000 beef sticks to six food banks and communities throughout Missouri.
Heather Hargrove, Executive Director of Feeding Missouri, explains this partnership comes at a critical time. “A growing number of families are struggling to provide food for their children.”
In Missouri, over 177,000 children are food insecure and don’t always have access to their next meal. While school meals can provide some relief during the week, families rely on programs like weekend backpacks and school pantries to provide nutrients during the holidays and weekends. Mo Beef Kids is grateful for the support of the Danny and Jewell Little Foundation and Show-Me Youth Academy in making this possible. Cattle farmer and educator Tammy Bartholomew, who also serves as Board Director for the Foundation for Food and Farm Connections and Executive Director of the Show Me-Youth Academy, is dedicated to connecting young people with the beef industry.
“Feeding kids while also educating them about the importance of beef in a healthy diet is something I am extremely passionate about,” says Bartholomew. “Beef is an excellent source of nutrition and can play an important role in combating hunger.”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one serving of beef provides ten essential nutrients, including protein, zinc, and B-vitamins. Protein, like beef, is one of the most requested items in food banks but can be challenging to obtain, making the efforts of organizations like Mo Beef Kids and their partners even more valuable. This donation will mark the official launch of the “Beef Fuels You” beef stick brand. Proceeds from the snack stick line will support the mission of more beef in schools and backpacks.
Organizations such as FFA and 4-H will be able to sell the beef sticks to benefit their groups while also spreading the message of the importance of beef in schools. Emma Hohenberger, the organization’s Executive Director believes, “every child in Missouri should have access to quality food and full bellies. Shelf stable beef sticks is a vital contribution that helps meet this need, and we are grateful to share this gift with Feeding Missouri and their affiliate food banks.”
For more information on this program or Mo Beef Kids efforts visit mobeefkids.com.
About Mo Beef Kids
Mo Beef Kids connects local farmers and ranchers, school foodservice and community leaders to beef up school lunches and backpacks. The program has served over three million beef meals since 2019 and is in partnership with 120 Missouri school districts. Mo Beef Kids is a program of the Foundation for Food and Farm Connections, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting local beef in schools and communities, while sharing the story of beef production and nutrition. This effort is supported in part by the Missouri Beef Checkoff and more than 40,000 Missouri farmers and ranchers.
Learn more at mobeefkids.com. About Feeding Missouri Feeding Missouri is a coalition of Missouri’s six Feeding America food banks that work to provide hunger relief to every county in the state and the city of St. Louis through a coordinated network of more than 1,200 community and faith-based feeding programs.
For more information, please visit feedingmissouri.org.