West Virginia Farm Credit Associations Donate $15,000 to Mountaineer Food Bank
Horizon Farm Credit and Farm Credit of the Virginias – the two Farm Credit associations serving West Virginia – made a recent collaborative donation totaling $15,000 to the Mountaineer Food Bank. The funds will support the Mountaineer Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry Program.
The Mountaineer Food Bank is the largest emergency food provider in West Virginia, distributing over 21 million pounds annually. The Mobile Pantry Program serves to deliver fresh, healthy foods to families in “food deserts” where food accessibility is limited and/or scarce. The mobile pantries offer fresh produce, proteins, dairy products and shelf-stable foods to thousands of West Virginia households each month.
“The continued support from Farm Credit is tremendous as the Mobile Pantry Program has become a vital lifeline in the fight against hunger in West Virginia,” said CEO of Mountaineer Food Bank, Chad Morrison. “The $15,000 contribution will help us continue providing shelf-stable and fresh produce items to families and individuals struggling with food insecurity,” Morrison concluded.
Farm Credit of the Virginias CEO, Brad Cornelius, said, “Our support of agriculture and our rural communities goes beyond the financial services we offer. We lend added support to our customer-owners through our commitment to giving back and strengthening the communities they call home. We are pleased to once again team up with our friends at Horizon Farm Credit to help advance the Mountaineer Food Bank and their vital hunger-relief efforts in West Virginia.”
“As a cooperative, our Association is deeply connected--and dedicated-- 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; uniting with Farm Credit of the Virginias to support the great work being done by the Mountaineer Food Bank is an additional way for us to honor those commitments,” Truitt continued. “We want to do all we can to ensure that our friends and neighbors have access to fresh, local, and nutritious food.”
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.