Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) has a long history of participating in events and programs to help feed those in need. Last month members of the Fayette County Farm Bureau (FCFB), state KFB leaders, and members and leaders within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints came together to distribute 40,000 lbs. of donated food to participating nonprofits and agencies from Central Kentucky that assist with hunger relief.

This project actually got its start last summer when KFB Board members, who were on an education tour, visited Salt Lake City and helped pack boxes of food for a program overseen by the Church with donations facilitated by the Utah Farm Bureau Miracle of Ag Foundation, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and farm families across the nation.

During the 2024 American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention, attendees had the opportunity to pack an untold number of food boxes each containing enough food for a family of four to enjoy over the course of a weekend. 

After that event, arrangements were made to have one of the many truckloads of food that the Church sends out annually, to come to Kentucky.

Fayette County Farm Bureau President Jason Whitis said there is a great need for food in the area and this project helped to fulfill some of that need. 

“Surprisingly, we have a lot of children in need here in Fayette County, and we felt like if we could help them out, that'd be a great opportunity,” he said. “Working with Kentucky Farm Bureau and local church members, we were able to get 40 or 50 organizations here involved to come and help distribute this food.”

Whitis added that there is no better group to help feed the needy than the farmers who grow the food. 

“As farmers, we love to see that the efforts we're putting in to grow the food, go to help those who are needing it and are hungry,” he said. “Unfortunately, this will only last a few days and these agencies will have to look for their next opportunity. So, we're trying to develop that relationship asking how we can continue to make those connections so that these people can not only get food today, but to continue to get food when they need it.” 

Troy Rindlisbacher is a farm manager, and production project manager from Utah who is one of the many farmers who grows some of the food used for the distribution boxes. He said there are many who help to support these efforts of feeding hungry people.

“It begins with a lot of us, that's for sure and the Church has these operations all over the place,” he said “It’s interesting if you look at the box, it’s full of different varieties of things grown in different parts of the country. I like to say (this initiative) is literally from seed to stomach.”

Rindlisbacher added that while the food may come from different places with different people involved, it all has a shared objective.

“We may be of different religions, we may be from different backgrounds, we grow different things, but we all have a common goal,” he said. “We try to feed people.”