Celebrate Agriculture Month by participating in Neighbor to Neighbor Food Drive
In addition, the Kansas Dairy Association will be giving demonstrations on the Mobile Dairy Classroom outside the Capitol on the south side. There will be three, 20-minute demonstrations, taking place at 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 p.m.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has designated March as Kansas Agriculture Month since agriculture is Kansas’ largest industry, employer and economic driver. This month is all about recognizing the hard-working men and women in the agriculture industry, as well as raising awareness that crops and animals raised on Kansas farms are providing healthy food to not only Kansas families, but to families around the world.
Dillons Food Stores and the Kansas agricultural organizations have partnered up with Harvesters – The Community Food Network, Second Harvest Community Food Bank and Kansas Food Bank to ensure that the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive reaches every community in Kansas.
The food drive will run until the end of March, and anyone can participate. Many youth organizations, such as 4-H, have been challenged to host their own food drives. The state has been divided into four regions, and one group from each region will receive an award for collecting the most needed items. The winning group will receive a $1,500 voucher to purchase groceries at a Dillons Food Store to donate to their local food bank. All the donations that are made at your local Dillons Food Store will be re-distributed throughout your community. You can request a barrel from a Feeding America food bank that is within your region. Donations to the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive can also be made at any Dillons Food Store location, and they will match donations made at the register.
To find out more about agriculture throughout the month, check out Kansas ag organizations, including Kansas Soybean, Kansas Wheat, Kansas Livestock Association, Kansas Farm Bureau and Kansas Department of Agriculture. To stay up to date with the celebrations and learn more about Kansas agriculture, follow the hashtags #ksagmonth and #ksagday.
If you want to put together your own food drive, visit the website, www.agriculture.ks.gov/ksagday. You will learn about all the resources needed to start your own food drive, put together an ag day event in your community, and discover classroom resources from partnering ag organizations. Celebrate the past and the future of agriculture during Agriculture Month this March!
by Peyton Powell, Kansas Wheat Communications Intern