CHS Ag retail locations in Kansas, including CHS United Plains Ag and CHS Oberlin, recently delivered their annual check to the Kansas Food Bank. The check for $52,655.41 funds grants for nine local food pantries, as well as the Food 4 Kids Program and Bob Box Program for seniors.
CHS locations across the country help fight rural hunger with the cooperative’s annual CHS Harvest for Hunger food, funds and grain drive.
“Hunger is everywhere, even in our own communities. We may never know that the family next door or the neighbor down the street struggles to put food on the table,” said Jeff Kahle, CHS general manager. “Here at CHS, we are in the business of feeding the world, which is why our annual CHS Harvest for Hunger campaign is so important to us. We help local food shelves fight hunger right here at home.”
Individual grants are determined based on what the local food shelves spend in a year on food. Pantries supported include: Bird City Pantry, Genesis of Colby, Genesis of Goodland, Gove County Pantry, Greeley County Pantry, Leoti Pantry, Oberlin Pantry, Sharon Springs Pantry and St. Francis Pantry.
The money was raised through fun events like charity feeds and raffles at the co-op’s various locations, along with direct donations.
“We’re grateful for the huge participation and support in all our communities,” said Jennifer Riedel, CHS agronomy manager assistant and campaign coordinator. “Community members and employees step up every year to make sure the drive is a success.”
“Unfortunately, the need is real,” she added. “We have people in our local communities who count on these food shelves and the pantries count on our support.”
Since 2011, CHS Country Operations, a division of CHS, the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative, has fielded the CHS Harvest for Hunger drive to collect money and food for local and regional food shelves across the country. The cooperative has raised more than $5.4 million and 3.6 million pounds of food since the campaign was first launched.