The Georgia Peanut Commission delivers peanut butter to Bullard Farms in Cook County, Georgia. Pictured left to right are Joy Crosby, GPC director of communications, Jason Bullard, farmer from Adel, Ga., and Lamar Ray, director of the Cook County Emergency Management Agency.
The U.S peanut industry united to donate more than 60,000 jars of peanut butter to victims of the recent tornadoes that swept across the Southeast.
Peanut butter has seven grams of protein per serving, is shelf stable, requires no refrigeration or special preparation and is enjoyable for all age groups, making it a natural choice for those who suddenly find themselves suffering from food insecurity or in a natural disaster.
In early January, after the first round of storms, Peanut Proud donated 2,000 jars of peanut butter which was used in Dougherty County, Georgia, food relief packages. The packages went to low-income school children in a hard hit area. These kids were out of school and their damaged homes were without power for over 10 days. All were on free school lunch/breakfast program and did not have access to this program with the schools closed and without power. Teachers from the affected schools delivered the packages to their students. Thousands of PB&J sandwiches in bag meals were distributed daily all over the area to storm victims in the weeks following the storm.
A second set of storms hit the Southeast Jan. 21 and 22 affecting Petal, Mississippi and several towns in Southwest Georgia with major damage in Albany, Ashburn and Adel.
Since those storms, Peanut Proud has raised more than $50,000 in donations from the Georgia Peanut Commission, the National Peanut Board, Texas Peanut Producers, Olam Edible Nuts, Birdsong Peanuts, National Peanut Buying Point Association, the American Peanut Shellers Association, LMC and Peanut Butter for the Hungry. Peanut Proud also received peanut butter donations from Kroger Company, J.B. Sanfilippo & Son and Golden Boy Foods.
“We are overwhelmed by the continuing generosity of Georgia’s farming community,” says Eliza McCall, chief marketing officer with Second Harvest of South Georgia. “This donation from the peanut industry will go a long way toward helping us care for our neighbors in need.”
The peanut butter has been delivered to disaster relief organizations, local churches and food banks in Georgia and Mississippi.
For additional information on the project, visit www.peanutproud.com.