32,800 pounds of Food Donated to Missouri's Food Banks and Food Pantries

Missouri Farmers Care announced the conclusion of a summer-long food drive and Canstruction® project that resulted in 32,800 pounds of food being donated to Missouri's food banks and food pantries.

The food pantry of Sedalia will receive the 8,555 pounds of food that were part of 12 foot 10 inch tall FFA Emblem Canstruction® project and the cans collected from the Missouri Farmers Care Food Drive Tuesday promotion that took place on the fairgrounds. Bing's Grocery Stores of Sedalia donated the cans for the FFA Emblem Canstruction® project that also had the support of Midwest Ford Dealers, St. Louis Ford Dealers, Missouri Farmers Care, Canstruction® Mid-Missouri of Columbia-Jefferson City, and the State Fair. Engineers from Trabue, Hansen & Hinshaw, Inc. and architects from Peckham & Wright Architects, Inc. designed and oversaw the construction of the canned-food sculpture (pictured below).

The FFA Emblem was comprised of over 3000 individual cans.

Missouri Area FFA chapters also spent the summer raising money and food as part of the State Fair and Missouri Farmers Care's food drive efforts to benefit local food banks and the Missouri Foodbank Association. The combined efforts of the Area chapters raised 11,000 pounds of food and generous fairgoers have contributed cash donations that made up the remainder of the pound total.

"Missouri Farmers Care is glad to announce that we have surpassed our food drive efforts from 2011 and 2012, making our 2013 food drive the biggest yet. In fact, we nearly tripled our 2012 total of 11,500 pounds," Missouri Farmers Care Chairman Don Nikodim said. "Missouri farmers are feeding the world and that starts right here at home where our farmers help feed their neighbors every day."

"If we're going to successfully fight hunger in Missouri, it's going to require strong partnerships and creativity," Missouri Food Bank Association State Director Scott Baker said. "Those are two key components to this great event. On behalf of those who rely upon us, we are extremely grateful to our partners for their hard work and commitment."

"The Missouri State Fair is extremely pleased with the partnership that has evolved over the past three years with the Missouri Food Bank Association, Ford and Missouri Farmers Care," Fair Director Mark Wolfe said. "We are also extremely proud of our local Sedalia Bings Grocery Stores, the Columbia engineers behind the FFA emblem exhibit, and certainly our fair guests. All have stepped up to support a very worthy cause that is especially important to agriculturalists."

Concluding the announcement, Nikodim said, "I want to once again thank our many partners that helped make this the biggest food drive we have done at the State Fair. This partnership shows how we can all work together to fight hunger in Missouri."

Additional information regarding Missouri Farmers Care and Missouri agriculture can be found at www.MoFarmersCare.com.