We Bought 4-H Animals to Stock Food Pantries

Each year, we purchase animals at our local county fair 4-H auctions. We donate the resulting meat products to local food pantries to provide fresh protein options for families in the community who are experiencing food insecurity. This year, we donated almost 2,000 pounds of meat!

Calhoun County Youth Fair

We bought two pigs and donated around 330 pounds of pork to South Michigan Central Food Bank in Battle Creek.

Cass County Fair

We bought two pigs and donated approximately 384 pounds of pork to Marcellus Food Pantry
and Action Ministries in Dowagiac.

Lenawee County Fair

We bought two pigs and donated approximately 321 pounds of pork to Daily Bread of Lenawee, Share the Warmth in Adrian, and Brooklyn Food Pantry in Cement City.

St. Joseph County Grange Fair

We bought two pigs and donated approximately 385 pounds of pork to Mendon Food Pantry, White Pigeon Food Pantry, and Domestic and Sexual Assault Services in Three Rivers.

Van Buren Youth Fair

We bought three pigs and donated approximately 505 pounds of pork to Eleanor’s Pantry in Paw
Paw, Wings of God Transitional Home in Paw Paw, Cooperating Ministries Food Pantry in Hartford, and Decatur Human Services Food Pantry.

Why MEC Buys 4-H Animals

4-H gives local kids an opportunity to develop life skills they may not have a chance to learn through school, including:

• Budgeting: Anticipating costs and saving for the animal’s future needs.
• Supply Management: Keeping an up-to-date inventory of supplies, including obtaining more when stock gets low.
• Caretaking: Planning nutritious diets, looking for signs of illness, administering medicine, and developing compassion by considering and meeting the needs of another living being.

The material benefits of 4-H are important, too. Kids often use the money from selling their animal to:

• Purchase their next 4-H animal, reinforcing what they’ve learned by participating again.
• Build their college fund, giving them a greater opportunity for higher education.

Additionally, 4-H can build a strong sense of community. A study by Tufts University found that 4-H participants were:

• Nearly 4x more likely to make contributions to their communities.
• About 2x more likely to be civically active.
• Nearly 2x more likely to make healthy choices.
• About 2x more likely to participate in extracurricular science, engineering, and computer technology programs.

Our vision at MEC is to build vibrant, relevant, sustainable rural communities. To us, 4-H is a major investment in the future of our local youth and the families who live here.