In December, the Oklahoma Pork Council donated $10,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to support its Food for Kids Programs.

This brings the total of okPORK donations since the partnership began to more than $162,000. This year, Brett Ramsey with Blue & Gold Sausage donated 5,000 pounds of sausage to the Regional Food Bank.

“We are happy to make the product donation to the Regional Food Bank,” said Brett Ramsey, owner of Blue & Gold Sausage. “It is something we do periodically as resources allow, and I think in this season in particular, it is really important for people to give. In these circumstances, we are happy to do so.”

The Pork for Packs and Beef for Backpacks programs provide chronically hungry children with backpacks filled with non-perishable, nutritious, shelf-stable food to sustain them over weekends and throughout school holidays. This donation from okPORK will allow the Regional Food Bank to process and package more than 28,000 pork sticks. The Regional Food Bank works with multiple organizations to solicit and steward animal donations, which are harvested for the sticks. Many of these animal donations come from the generosity of Oklahoma 4-H and FFA members.

“We are so proud of the youth in 4-H and FFA throughout the state who donate their show projects at the end of the show season to help other kids who are food insecure,” said Nikki Snider, okPORK director of marketing and communications. “Directing our yearly donation to the Food for Kids backpack program helps us show our appreciation to those kids and the Regional Food Bank for their great work.”

okPORK doubled the impact of the donation in the fight against hunger through the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s annual Holiday Match. Thanks to gifts from AMPEX and the Cresap Family Foundation, okPORK’s $10,000 donation increased to $20,000.