Farm Credit Associations Donate $22,500 to Federation of Virginia Food Banks
Colonial Farm Credit, Horizon Farm Credit and Farm Credit of the Virginias – the three Farm Credit Associations that serve the state of Virginia – made a recent collaborative donation totaling $22,500 to the Federation of Virginia Food Banks.
The collaborative donation will fund the Federation of Virginia Food Banks’ Farms to Food Banks Initiative, in which the Federation and its’ member food banks have prioritized partnerships with local growers to support the regional ag economy and increase the supply of fresh, nutritious foods available to Virginians facing food insecurity.
Eddie Oliver, Federation of Virginia Food Banks Executive Director, shared, “Our Farms to Food Banks initiative is key in providing kids and families with the nutritious foods they need to grow and thrive. This year alone, we distributed almost 900,000 pounds of Virginia-grown lettuce, apples, cabbage, squash and corn throughout the Commonwealth. These generous gifts from our Farm Credit partners will help us do even more in 2023 to address the unprecedented levels of need and empower strong, healthy communities.”
CEO of Farm Credit of the Virginias, Brad Cornelius, said, “Farm Credit’s commitment to supporting agriculture and our rural communities goes beyond providing reliable financial services. Our long-standing partnership with the Federation of Virginia Food Banks to advance their hunger-relief efforts in the commonwealth allows us to ensure meals are available to food insecure families in our region while also benefitting our hardworking farmers – a win-win in our book!”
“As a cooperative, our Association is deeply connected to our local communities,” said Tom Truitt, CEO of Horizon Farm Credit. “Our farmers have committed their lives to feeding people and serving the needs of others,” he said. “We are honored to partner with Farm Credit of the Virginias and Colonial Farm Credit to support the Farms to Food Banks initiative,” Truitt continued. “We want to do all we can to ensure that our friends and neighbors have access to fresh, local, and nutritious food, especially during this holiday season.”
About Farm Credit of the Virginias
Farm Credit of the Virginias provides over $2 billion dollars in financing to more than 12,000 farmers, agribusinesses and rural homeowners throughout Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland. Farm Credit is a cooperative capitalized largely through investments made by farmers, ranchers and the rural homeowners and businesses that borrow from them. In fact, as part of a nationwide network they are the largest single provider of agricultural credit in the United States and have been for over 100 years. Farm Credit helps maintain and improve the quality of life in rural America and on the farm through its constant commitment to competitive lending, expert financial services and for facilitating and sharing knowledge and resources through the Farm Credit Knowledge Center.
About the Farm Credit System
The Farm Credit System is a national network of lending institutions that collectively provide a wide range of financial and lending services to rural America. Farm Credit institutions are cooperatives, capitalized largely through investments made by farmers, ranchers and the rural businesses that borrow from them. In fact, as part of a nationwide network they are the largest single provider of agricultural credit in the United States and has been for over 100 years. Farm Credit helps maintain and improve the quality of life in rural America and on the farm through its constant commitment to competitive lending and expert financial services.