The Minnesota Pork Board, along with Compeer Financial, are helping families in need this month by donating 6,000 pounds of ground pork to Second Harvest Heartland.

November is also National Pork Month.

“This type of donation is special for us because lean protein is an area in which we always need more," says Thierry Ibri, chief operations and program officer for Second Harvest Heartland. "Only 4% of what we donate as a food bank is lean meat, and we hope to triple that number within the next three years."

The donation was made possible by the Minnesota Pork Board's Oink Outings program and Compeer Financial's Fund for Rural America. Oink Outings are held throughout the summer months at events around the Twin Cities with the mission of connecting pig farmers with consumers to answer questions about pigs and pork. Each question someone asks results in 1 pound of pork donated to Second Harvest Heartland.

Over the past nine years, more than 54,000 pounds of donated ground pork, adding up to an approximate 216,000 meals, have been provided to local families and communities in need.

"Being here is incredibly humbling,” says JoDee Haala, president of the Minnesota Pork Board. “As many headwinds that we face as farmers, whether it's trade or consumer skepticism, this is the motivating factor that puts the wind back in your sails and the fight back in your day.

"I would like to thank Second Harvest Heartland for all that they do, as well as Compeer Financial and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for their generosity and important work they do every day to help Minnesota's farmers."

"Compeer Financial is honored to participate and work with Minnesota pork producers to donate to Second Harvest Heartland," says Mark Greenwood, chief diversified markets officer for Compeer Financial. "It is an honor to work with the Minnesota Pork Board, and we feel very fortunate to be able to partner together on this donation."

Source: Compeer Financial, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.