DAVENPORT, Iowa — For the 12th consecutive year, Quad Cities Illinois farmers helped local families with their contributions to River Bend Food Bank as part of the annual Bushels for Hunger program.
The Illinois Farm Bureau said this year's donations delivered 112,000 meals which totaled $22,515 in contributions. Bushels for Hunger has now surpassed 1.3 million meals donated and over $277,000 in contributions over the program's 12 years.
The donations were presented on Monday, February 7 at the River Bend Food Bank in Davenport.
"We feel blessed in what we do and providing food and fiber for the communities and for our jobs, but it's great to be able to support the local efforts and provide for the people that need food," said Jeff Kirwan, IL Farm Bureau District Director.
The program is a joint operation coordinated by farmers from Henry, Mercer and Rock Island. Those three farm bureaus partner with local grain elevators and ethanol plants to pull portions of their harvests for Bushels for Hunger donations.
"I continue to be amazed at the heart of the farming community," said Mike Miller, President and CEO of River Bend Food Bank. "In spite of all the supply chain challenges in the past year, farmers have still set aside a significant portion of their harvest to help those even less fortunate...we are very thankful to Illinois Farm Bureau and those who donated."
According to River Bend Food Bank, 1 in 5 children and 1 in 10 adults miss meals, not by choice. To help combat this issue, River Bend has partnered with over 300 organizations across 23 counties in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
More information about River Bend Food Bank programs and how to volunteer or donate can be found here.