When Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) announced the Helping Hands co-op contribution program, the Randall County Farm Bureau (CFB) board of directors knew just where their donations could be put to good use.
By using the program to increase their total donations, Randall CFB donated a total of $2,250 to the High Plains Food Bank and two area Snack Pak 4 Kids programs.
“We normally donate to these programs most years through some of our county events, but we weren’t really able to do many events this last year because of COVID-19,” Randall CFB President Greg Glover said. “So, the Helping Hands program was a great way to make donations while maintaining all the safety protocols we’ve had to follow these past few months.”
The High Plains Food Bank (HPFB) is a non-profit organization which serves as the clearinghouse for collection, storage and distribution of donated and purchased grocery products, providing aid to the uppermost 29 counties in the Texas Panhandle. HPFB partners with over 190 agencies to provide services to more than 90,000 people across 8,000 different families.
Snack Pak 4 Kids, which first began 11 years ago in Amarillo, provides food for the weekend to more than 10,000 students across 51 school districts. Each Friday, teachers discreetly place snack paks in students’ backpacks which contain non-perishable foods that can be prepared without adult supervision, ensuring the kids don’t go hungry over the weekend when school meals are not available.
The organization partners with many agricultural entities in the Panhandle to provide nutritious, quality food.
“Some of our board members, including my wife, have taught in districts with Snack Pak 4 Kids programs and have personally seen the benefits to the kids,” Glover said. “It’s just a really amazing program run by hardworking people with lots of volunteer help. We love that some of the products in the backpacks are sourced from farmers and ranchers right here at home.”
Randall CFB donated $750 to HPFB, and Snack Pak 4 Kids Canyon and Snack Pak 4 Kids Amarillo each received $750 for their programs.
Now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased, the board of directors is looking forward to Randall CFB’s upcoming Food Connection event to provide even more aid to HPFB. Local FFA chapters will compete over a two-week period to collect the most canned food, and the top two chapters will receive a donation from Randall CFB for their efforts.
“We work hard every day to feed families across the globe with the products we grow and raise,” Glover said. “But it’s good to be able to help out by providing families food through donations, too.”