Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Utah Senator Mike Lee raised roughly 55,000 pounds of food donations for local non-profit organizations in their respective states as part of a bet prior to the Oregon Ducks vs. Utah Utes football game on Nov. 19.
The food donations from Oregon — 15,000 pounds of ground beef from Farmers Ending Hunger and 20,000 pounds of dairy products from Tillamook County Creamery Association — will be given to the Utah Food Bank. FOOD for Lane County and the Oregon Food Bank will receive 40,000 pounds of pork from Smithfield Foods in Utah. The donations were supplied to both states regardless of the winner, which is good news for Oregon following the Ducks’ 7-38 loss to the Utes.
Hank Stern, Wyden’s press secretary, said the donations will help provide for those dealing with food insecurity, as well as highlight the work that Food for Lane County does for the community.
“The senators wanted both to help food banks in their states and to spotlight the year-round need to help people facing food insecurity,” Stern said. “Thanks to the generosity of the donors, those goals were achieved.”
Wyden said he was glad to see the community get involved in combating hunger and food insecurity.
“I’m grateful that Farmers Ending Hunger and TCCA once again are putting their community generosity on full display as part of this effort to help combat hunger in Oregon and Utah,” Wyden said in a press release.
John Burt, executive director of Farmers Ending Hunger, said arranging and transporting the beef donation may take two to three trips over the next couple of months to get the total donation amount to Utah.
“We’re a small organization, so we can’t respond quite as quickly as Smithfield Foods,” Burt said. “We just decided we would try to support Senator Wyden in this wager and, as a result, support the food banks.”
FOOD for Lane County, one of the donation recipients, has been serving the county since 1984 and aims to create access to food for those struggling with food insecurity. Food pantry facilitators seek out protein donations, said FOOD for Lane County Events and Media Coordinator Dawn Marie Woodward.
“Anytime we can get high-quality food like this is great,” Woodward said. “We strive to have quality protein in our system, because protein is a building block to fuel the body, and protein is so important in our diets, but it’s very expensive.”
Woodward said community donations of volunteer time, food or money are what make FOOD for Lane County’s mission possible. Its 170 partner agencies allow easy accessibility, both for those using food services and those donating to them. Ninety-three cents of every dollar donated to FOOD for Lane County goes directly to programs and providing free meals, Woodward said.
“It is not possible for us to do what we do without community support, and so I just want to thank the community for helping in any way that you can,” Woodward said. “Every little bit helps, and it’s just fantastic that we live in a community that we can count on people who care about their neighbors and want to help.”
FOOD for Lane County’s website, foodforlanecounty.org, has more information on donation drop-off locations and how to volunteer.
