The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

Where can you find 30,000 lbs of food, 900 food boxes, 900 gallons of milk, and many boxes of a dozen eggs? At Agri-Plastics!

It was a great day to be working with Volunteers of America Western Nebraska (VOAWN) and Hot Meals on the Farmer to Families Food Box Pickup Event. The free boxes contained fresh food: meat, dairy, fruit, and vegetables, milk, and eggs.

Many volunteers and employees of Agri-Plastics came to help with this event. The event started at 10 am, Monday, May 17th, and ended at 2 pm at the Agri-Plastics parking lot. Over 500 boxes were donated within the first hour.

“Many counties within the Panhandle have been designated as USDA food deserts,” President and CEO of VOAWN Adam Sickler said. “Those are our most impacted areas, especially in the last year dealing with COVID.” Sickler says the program helps both those who may be food insecure as well as Ag producers. Through the CARES Act, the USDA purchased billions worth of food products from distributors to get meals to those who need them.

Agri-Plastics is the first for-profit company VOAWN has partnered with for a food box distribution. The company’s Operations Manager, Mark Wood, says they’re happy to do their part in a time where distributions are crucial.

“We’ve had a lot of people here with the COVID-19 going around who have worked through that pandemic with us to keep the supply going,” Wood said. “It’s a bit of a thank you back to the community for helping us keep going.”

Special thanks to our supporters and donators that made this event possible!