posted on Monday, March 9, 2020 in Central Region News
The AMVC employee team at Taurus Sow, a sow farm outside of Creston, came together and decided they wanted to give back to the community. With a single idea and a simple gesture, the Creston Food Pantry is the recipient of a $400 donation.
It all started around the holidays when a few AMVC employees from the Creston and Prescott area decided to volunteer at the food pantry and donate a few hams for the pork industry’s campaign of Hams Across America. After that experience, the Taurus Sow team decided they wanted to do more. The farm’s manager, Amanda Winslow, and her daughter, Dakota, had previously volunteered, and Winslow knew how to get her team connected to the food pantry.
Last month, seven AMVC employees spent their Sunday afternoon helping distribute food at the Creston Food Pantry. In addition, they delivered $200 of the team’s own money to give to the pantry.
Doug Stevens, AMVC swine specialist, volunteered and contributed money to the cause, “ I wanted to be able to help the food pantry purchase food for others.”
When AMVC Management Services learned of their employees’ generous donation to their community’s pantry, AMVC immediately wanted to match the employees’ gift. An additional $200 check was sent to the Creston Food Pantry from AMVC.
For fellow AMVC employee, Rene Cano, this was his first time volunteering at the pantry and had a desire to volunteer with his team, “I wanted to experience the food pantry and have the satisfaction of helping out.”
Last month, the Creston Food Pantry served 510 families. When the Creston Food Pantry buys food from the Food Bank of Iowa, it typically costs between $1.25 and $1.50 to feed a family.
Mark O’Riley, Creston Food Pantry Coordinator, was very grateful for the donation, “This donation will help us tremendously. We don’t have funding like other pantries. We rely on contributions from companies and individuals.”
The $400 donation from AMVC employees and AMVC’s matching gift, will be used to buy items for the food pantry they normally cannot afford to purchase.
“I’m impressed with this team’s initiative and action to give their time and money to make a difference in their community. This is a perfect example of the Taurus Sow team living out our company’s motto: Doing the right thing every day. It’s great to see the team work together outside of the barn and use their talents for the good of the community.” commented Dan Weber, AMVC production manager.
AMVC Management Services, a diversified swine management company, owns and manages Taurus Sow, a breed to wean sow farm, outside of Creston. AMVC is based in Audubon, Iowa, and is the tenth largest pork producer in the United States.
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- donation