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SALT LAKE CITY — A 35,000-pound donation of bacon and other pork products made to the Utah Food Bank on March 21 is more than just a lot of meat. It demonstrates how the community can work together to fight food insecurity in Utah.
The Utah Pork Producers Association partnered with Daily's Premium Meats, Utah State University Athletics and Brigham Young University Athletics to garner the massive donation, which includes a mixture of bacon and other pork products. It's part of a fundraiser called "Points for Protein" where Daily's Premium Meats agreed to donate 25 pounds of pork for every point the USU and BYU football teams scored this recent season.
"We're honored to help our friends and neighbors through their time of need," said Jim Webb, president of the Utah Pork Producers Association. He said all of the meat donated to the Utah Food Bank on Thursday came from Daily's Premium Meats.
Tyler Shuman, plant manager at Daily's Premium Meats in Salt Lake City, said the bacon plant's involvement in the Points for Protein fundraiser began when they saw that the Utah Pork Producers Association had been looking for a major protein product producer to participate in the fundraiser. While not a company native to Utah, Daily's Premium Meats jumped at the chance to be a positive influence on the Utah community.
"We're really involved with the community here in the area and we love the people of Utah, so we're just really happy to help support those in need," Shuman said. "We recognize the need and we want to do what we can to be a positive influence in the community."
Donations like the one made Thursday are more important now than ever, according to Utah Food Bank President and CEO Ginnette Bott. With the rising cost of living, Bott says the Utah Food Bank and the pantries it stocks are getting twice as many requests for food than last year.
"Sustainability is a really frightening thing for us right now," Bott said, explaining that while the supply chain from food manufacturers is stable, it is frightening to her to see the need for food increase because Utah Food Bank has no real control over how much food is manufactured and how much is donated.
In response to the heightened need for food, Utah Food Bank is finishing construction on several facilities across the state to allow for the transport of food to the 269 pantries and food suppliers it helps stock to be faster and more effective.
Families facing food insecurity or other economic hardships often struggle with getting enough protein in their diet due to the high cost of meat products, with beef prices, in particular, increasing following the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation of pork products made through the Points for Protein fundraising initiative will be split into 140,000 servings that will go to families in need.
"When you look at food prices, you'll see that meat and protein products are some of the most expensive items at the grocery store — so getting a donation of pork like this is huge because it's something that a lot of families can't afford and therefore something those families would go without," Bott said. "The 35,000 pounds of pork that has been donated really is crucial for some Utah families."
