FCSAmerica commits $250,000 to hunger relief in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming
OMAHA – August 25, 2014 – Farmers have an opportunity to alleviate hunger in their communities by donating a portion of their crop to Invest An Acre, with Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) pledging to match farmers’ donations in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. FCSAmerica is increasing its dollar-for-dollar match for the 2014 harvest, contributing up to $500 for each farmer’s grain donation.
When farmers donate to Invest An Acre at their local elevator, they are making a direct contribution to their local food bank. FCSAmerica has committed $250,000 to match those farmer crop donations. Additional contributing partners, including Monsanto, are matching the farmers’ donations to magnify the impact of farmers’ generosity.
The FCSAmerica $500 donation match program for the 2014 harvest begins September 1 and will run through August 31, 2015.
“An average of 1 of 6 Americans don’t know from where their next meal will come,” said Ann Finkner, senior vice president and chief administrative officer for the financial services cooperative, based out of Omaha. “Families who live in rural and agricultural regions face a number of challenges that put them at even greater risk of hunger. We want to take an active role with farmers to address hunger and nutrition concerns.”
Farm Credit funding bank, AgriBank (St. Paul, Minnesota.), is also a contributing partner, providing funding support for building awareness to farmers of the matching opportunity and help bring focus to the reality of hunger. In addition to FCSAmerica’s participation, several other companies and local grain elevators participate.
The donation process is similar to that for a commodity check-off, except the farmer’s investment is a charitable deduction. To donate, when a farmer takes their grain to the local elevator, they complete the Invest An Acre donation form. This authorizes the elevator to send the value of donated grain to Feeding America, who processes the Invest An Acre donations. FCSAmerica matches the gift, up to $500 per donor from FCSAmerica, additionally, Monsanto will match the farmer’s gift, dollar-for-dollar. Farmers then receive an acknowledgement and tax letter regarding their charitable contribution from Feeding America. The donation will be delivered, with the match, on a quarterly basis to their local food bank.
To learn more about donating, farmers can visit www.investanacre.org.
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About Farm Credit Services of America
Farm Credit Services of America is a customer-owned financial cooperative proud to finance the growth of rural America, including the special needs of young and beginning producers. With more than $21 billion in assets and more than $3.8 billion in members’ equity, FCSAmerica is one of the region’s leading providers of credit and insurance services to farmers, ranchers, agribusiness and rural residents in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. Learn more at fcsamerica.com.
