Meat+Poultry - August 2022 - 88

GIVING BACK
West Liberty Foods
West Liberty Foods announced a donation
of $500,000 to the West Liberty School
District to support its new athletic
complex. West Liberty Foods is the
community's largest business and employs
more families in the district than any
other business or organization in town,
according to the company.
The $500,000 will be distributed over
five years and requires the school district
to match the funds. This makes West
Liberty Foods the keynote sponsor for the
district sports complex and puts it 60% of
the way to a total fundraising goal of $2
million. Fundraising kicked off March 29,
and the district has raised $1.2 million.
" This is a game changer, " said
Superintendent Shaun Kruger. " The
meeting with the West Liberty Foods
board could not have gone any better. The
board is a group of accomplished business
owners and Iowa growers. They had great
questions and were very supportive of
what we presented and towards public
education in general. Their vote of
approval reaffirms my confidence that we
are doing the right thing with these funds
to move the district forward. "
Butterball LLC
Butterball LLC announced a partnership
with Fair Acres Family Y in Carthage,
Mo., to sponsor an on-site meals program
enabling the Fair Acres Family Y to serve
100 free meals per day for local youth
during the summer months. Additionally,
Butterball will provide ongoing in-kind
product donations from its local Carthage
facility, primarily ground turkey, to
supplement additional meal plans which
will extend its ability to support the
program beyond the summer months.
" Butterball believes everyone deserves
to feel great about what they eat and
expanding access to food where needed is
an important part of our role in the local
community, " said Christa Leupen, senior
manager of purpose and public relations
for the Garner, NC-based turkey processor.
" With summer food programs falling short
in reaching the additional 86% of youth
who are at-risk for food insecurity, it's even
more important to support kids within our
own communities by providing nutritious
meals during the summer. "
The Carthage Free and Reduced Lunch
rates, which show how many children
qualify for lunch money assistance, range
from 55% to 88% of children enrolled in the
Carthage School District 1.
88 MEAT+POULTRY | 08.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
Cargill
Cargill's North American protein business,
Wichita, Kan., announced a grant of
$400,000 to WSU Tech in support of a new
culinary arts campus.
The school broke ground on the
new National Institute of Culinary and
Hospitality Education (NICHE) campus,
a state-of-the-art culinary school that will
be based in the historic Henry's Building
in downtown Wichita. The donation to
the WSU Tech Foundation will outfit the
demonstration kitchen with professional
cookware and equipment. Cargill said the
funds will also provide scholarships to
students from under-represented groups
who are looking to pursue an education in
culinary arts and hospitality.
" We are proud to grow our support
providing physical and financial resources
to ensure students have the opportunity
and access to the skills and training to
pursue a rewarding career in culinary
arts and hospitality, " said Chef Pete
Geoghegan, culinary director at Cargill.
Wayne Farms
Dobson
Wayne Farms in Dobson,
NC, recently presented
a $5,000 check to help
underwrite homeless
shelter operations
for Shepherds House,
which provides basic
lodging and meals for
homeless individuals
and families, along with
an array of therapeutic,
educational, life skills
and health education
classes and social
services assistance. The
64-bed facility recently
completed a major
renovation and multistoried
expansion.
The company has
also signed on with
Shepherd's House as a
resource for the agency's
" Jobs First " program,
offering training and
processing plant
positions to homeless
adults and providing
transportation to and
from the job.
" We wanted to help
Shepherd's House give
residents the opportunity
to change their
situation, " said Matthew
Wooten, Dobson
Complex manager.
" Providing financial
support is important,
but helping people find
employment is even
more impactful. "
The company
said that 7-10 shelter
residents are working
with Wayne Farms
through the " Jobs First "
program. Wooten noted
that new positions at
Wayne Farms are always
available.
West LIberty Foods
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Meat+Poultry - August 2022

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