We need farmers to donate livestock! The average pig can provide approximately 400 meals and the average cow can provide 2,000 meals! Only need half for your family? Donate the rest and we will pay the processing on the donated portion. Do have a cow or pig that will be low value at market due to an imperfection or under market weight? A pig with belly rupture? Donate it and write off the fair-market value on your taxes! During 4-H season, we encourage bidders to pay the market/support fee in addition to the bid price and then they are able to donate the livestock! This allows the bidder to support the 4-H program, the 4-H participant, the local hunger relief agencies and the hungry in their community. The Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry’s “Meat” the Need program has provided over 940,000 pounds of meat to Indiana hunger-relief agencies in the last six years!!! 
Founded in 2011, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry encourages the donation of large game and livestock to our “Meat” the Need program, raises financial support to pay processing fees on these donations, and gives this nutritious meat to hunger relief-agencies within Indiana. Hunters and farmers may donate, at no cost to them (and farmers may write-off fair market value on taxes!), by taking large game or livestock to a participating meat processor in their area. The donation will be processed, packaged in 1- to 2-pound packages, and frozen, or canned. Local hunger-relief agencies will be contacted for pick up and distribution of this nutritious protein back into the community in which it was donated. The individuals and families that Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry serves are reached through food banks and other hunger relief agencies whose services are strictly for low income and poor populations.
Even as the economy is improving, many hardworking Hoosiers are still living paycheck to paycheck. Indiana residents who must regularly choose between paying bills and buying groceries, continue to struggle to stay afloat but become even more in debt. In Indiana, approximately 1 out of every 4 households with children – report an inability to afford enough food to feed their family. Those affected by food insecurity are often at high-risk for obesity and diet-related diseases due to the lack of quality in the foods that they can afford. Protein, one of the most important nutrients for brain and body development in children and young adults, is also the hardest commodity for food banks to obtain. Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry assists in meeting basic needs within each county it serves. By assisting individuals and families that are struggling with this situation, the organization gives families the ability to avoid hunger and not have to choose between bills and groceries – allowing those aging and vulnerable populations to get back on track to hunger-free, independent living.
Contact Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry and they will help find a local meat processor to assist you in your meat donation. This meat will be distributed to families in need, at no charge to you and you will be helping your community! (Processors must be notified prior to livestock donation drop-offs and must be delivered live for USDA inspection.). To date, the organization has 85 participating meat processors working within 85 counties in Indiana to ensure residents in need are served. A full list of processors may be found at HoosiersFeedingtheHungry.org.
Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry is accepting donations to fund our “Meat” the Need program throughout Indiana and is continuously looking for volunteers to help us in our efforts to feed the hungry and reduce hunger issues throughout Indiana. For more information on the Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry program, its services and to find participating meat processors in your area, or to find out how you can help, please visit www.HoosiersFeedingtheHungry.org.