By Pam Musland

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NDFU) – For a second time in less than a year, Farmers Union Enterprises (FUE) teamed up with North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) to donate 36,000 pounds of pork ribs to the Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo. The donation today is part of a giving spree that saw a total of 180,000 pounds of ribs distributed to food banks in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana and North Dakota.

In May, Farmers Union delivered 150,000 pounds of pork ribs to food banks in the five-state area.

“We need all hands on deck to feed hungry families in our communities, especially with the pandemic and high unemployment that has placed an extra burden on food banks everywhere,” said NDFU President Mark Watne.

The donated pork ribs are from Redwood Farms, one of several businesses owned by FUE – the dividends of which help fund Farmers Union state organizations and National Farmers Union. Redwood Farms supplies premium pork products to high-end restaurants in New York, Chicago and other cities across the U.S.

Watne said Farmers Union is doing what it can to help the most vulnerable among us. “Hunger never stops. As farmers who produce food, we want to make sure no one has to worry about their next meal … and hopefully it will be pork ribs,” he said.

In North Dakota, the Great Plains Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization and the state’s only food bank. It works with a wide array of individuals and organizations to guide donated surplus food and grocery products to a network of 213 food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and charitable feeding programs.

NDFU is the largest farm organization in North Dakota, representing more than 50,000 farm and ranch families, members, and their energy and agriculture supply cooperatives.