Turkey and cash donations fight hunger in Kansas 

The Kansas Food Bank: Cargill Cares Complex may have found the perfect holiday recipe for fighting hunger locally – start with turkey, add money, and top it off with a generous helping of community enthusiasm.

On Nov. 12, the Wichita, Kan., food bank received a semi-truck load of turkeys -40,000 pounds- from Cargill’s turkey business. Additionally, the local employee-led Cargill Cares council issued a $75,000 matching grant for the food bank’s “Food 4 Kids” program, which tucks take-home food packages into the backpacks of more than 6,000 food-insecure children every weekend.

“Our partners at Cargill are instrumental in ensuring hunger relief efforts are a top priority," said Brian Walker, president and CEO of the Kansas Food Bank. “This gift of turkeys will help put many meals on the tables of our pantry guests. And their support of our Food 4 Kids program will double the impact we have in reaching hungry children.”

The turkey and cash donations are annual, but last year was the first time the efforts were combined with a community match. In 2013, the endeavor raised $189,642.

The Wichita Cargill Cares represents all of the Cargill businesses in the Wichita area as well as shared services personnel. The group focuses on food security to fulfill Cargill’s company-wide commitment to serving local communities.

Naming rights to the food bank’s Wichita facility went to Cargill in 2006 to mark its long-time partnership with the Kansas Food Bank, which serves more than 200,000 people annually throughout an 85-county service area. Since the 1990’s, Cargill has provided more than 300 tons of food for distribution by the Kansas Food Bank. Since 2006, Cargill has also donated over $1.5 million dollars to the Kansas Food Bank and its HungerCare partners.