The Oklahoma Pork Council sought several opportunities to help fill nutrition gaps and show appreciation for those working overtime to feed hungry neighbors durning the record-breakingly-long federal government shutdown.

One special way our organization gave back this week on behalf of our state's pig farmers was to donate pork to a fantastic Oklahoma City non-profit working every day to help Oklahomans in need. With an impressive haul of 25 hams and more than 150 pouds of Blue & Gold Sausage, we were able to make the Homeless Alliance's chef and staff members breathe a huge sigh of relief to host their annual Thanksgiving meal for around 400 Oklahomans facing homelessness with delicious protein after several weeks of uncertainty for their team related to food availability.

Another fun example of our ramped-up pork giving during the shutdown was to host an appreciation lunch for 155 staff members at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma (RFBO). After more than 40 days where food bank employees were going above and beyond to connect Oklahomans in need with food and resources, this was such a simple way to remind these non-profit workers that the agriculture community values their work. Thanks to one of our favorite catering partners Head Country BBQ, our Oklahoma Pork crew shared tasty grab-and-go meals with grateful RFBO workers with words of appreciation from Oklahoma's pork producers. We look forward to a similar appreciation event for our friends at the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma in Tulsa next week!