Contacts
Anna Bethmann, Osborn Barr, 314/746-1933
Ellen Amato, Osborn Barr, 314/746-1949
MIDDLETON, Wis. (April 4, 2013) – Though the holidays are over, hundreds of Monsanto Company employees will continue to give back to their communities by participating in the company’s second “Rural Hunger Volunteer Week.” Employees at nearly 100 locations across the U.S. volunteered at local food banks or organize food collection drives in February as part of Monsanto’s on-going push to combat hunger in rural America.
Twelve employees from the Monsanto Middleton Site volunteered their time to collect non-perishable food items for the Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) on Feb. 4. Employees from the site make it a point to participate in at least one volunteer effort each year.
By mobilizing employees across the country, Monsanto hopes to make a real impact while bringing the issue of rural hunger into people’s consciousness this winter, and throughout the year.
“MOM is very beneficial to our community, and it is great to assist an organization that has such an impact on the area,” said Sally Muller, senior administrative assistant. “It was important for us to volunteer during ‘Rural Hunger Volunteer Week,’ because it highlights the importance of volunteering and may encourage others who are thinking of doing such an event to participate as well.”
Even though America’s farmers are among the most productive and efficient in the world, hunger is a significant problem in America – and rural America is no exception. According to Feeding America, more than 15 percent of rural households are food insecure. That is around three million households in the very communities where much of the world’s supply is raised. “As counterintuitive as it may seem, there are millions of rural families that simply don’t know where their next meal will come from,” said Brenda Cockrell, Monsanto’s Global Volunteer Program Manager. “As a company with deep roots in rural America, we are committed to helping address this problem. That is what Rural Hunger Volunteer Week is all about.”
Monsanto is an unwavering supporter of America’s farmers and their communities. In addition to Rural Hunger Volunteer Week, the company is involved in several other key efforts to fight hunger in America. Recently, Monsanto pledged $3 million to Invest an Acre, a partnership which helps farmers support their local food banks. Other efforts include annual food drives at industry tradeshows, which have raised 80,000 pounds of food over three years, as well as donations to rural food banks amounting to $300,000 through the Monsanto Fund’s America’s Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM program.
Monsanto is continuing to develop tools for farmers that help them maximize productivity on their land while maintaining their resources in a sustainable way – but the company recognizes that production is only part of the solution. That is why Monsanto is working to raise awareness about rural hunger in America and help get food on the tables of those who need it most.
More information about Monsanto’s commitment to end rural hunger can be found at http://www.monsanto.com/fightinghunger.
About Monsanto
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world’s natural resources such as water and energy. To learn more about our business and our commitments, please visit: http://www.monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at http://www.twitter.com/MonsantoNews, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows at http://www.monsantoblog.com, or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.
