The Amarillo area beef community presented a check for $100,500 to the Snack Pak 4 Kids (SP4K) Beef Fund. One hundred percent of the money raised will provide food-insecure students with high-quality beef protein through the Snack Pak 4 Kids weekend backpack program. The check was presented at the fifth annual Beef 4 Kids golf tournament.
"In the past five years, more than $500,000 has been raised through the B4K golf tournament, to ensure kids in 50 area communities have access to protein every weekend. It is a blessing that our agriculture partners have come together to make this possible," said Dyron Howell, Founder and Executive Director of Snack Pak 4 Kids. The SP4K Beef Fund launched in October 2017. The program was designed to provide more protein over the weekend for hungry students in the Texas Panhandle. This year’s tournament pushed the fund to over half a million dollars in donations to the Beef Fund in just five years. Each year, local teachers answer survey questions from SP4K to ensure the program is adequately serving students in the area. “The students who get the bags are better mentally, physically and spiritually for having food over the weekends. They are alert, thinking and participating all the time during class and lab,” said a local teacher. Protein is an important addition to every Snack Pak bag and beef provides ten essential nutrients and vitamins, including protein, zinc and iron – three key nutrients that are essential for proper growth and development of children. “Texas Cattle Feeders Association is thankful for the strong partnership with Snack Pak 4 Kids and the opportunity to work with the community to provide high-quality beef protein to students in the area,” said Lindsey Sawin, TCFA Communications Coordinator. “Cattle feeders are dedicated stewards of their communities, and we are honored to be able to give back at the Beef 4 Kids Golf Tournament.” TCFA would like to thank the sponsors and golfers who made this year’s event possible. Major sponsoring organizations include Amarillo National Bank, Baptist Community Services, Bezner Beef, Cactus Cares, Cargill, Caviness, Champion Feeders, CoBank, Elanco, Five Rivers, Friona Industries, Jax Transport, Kemin, Kirkland Feedyard, Microtechnologies/MWI, Tyson, Underwood Law Firm and Upshaw Insurance.
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The Amarillo area beef and dairy communities presented a check for $81,500 to the Snack Pak 4 Kids (SP4K) Beef Stik Program. The money will provide beef sticks to hungry students through the Snack Pak weekend hunger program. The check was presented at the second annual Beef 4 Kids Classic golf tournament. "Our local agriculture community continues to step up to serve their communities," said Dyron Howell, SP4K founder. "This year we served 60% more kids due to the economic impact of COVID. We expect that trend to continue throughout the school year." The SP4K Beef Stik Program launched in October 2017. The program was designed to provide more protein for hungry students in the Texas Panhandle. “Ten percent of the sticks we need for the entire will be funded by this golf tournament,” Howell said. “When we first started, kids would get about 10-12 grams of protein in their bags each weekend, which is woefully inadequate. Today kids are getting 68 grams of protein in their bags. This is protein they desperately need to be successful both at home and school.” Beef provides ten essential nutrients and vitamins, including protein, zinc and iron – three key nutrients that are essential for proper growth and development of children. “TCFA is grateful for the strong partnership with Snack Pak and the opportunity it has provided the beef community to help provide high quality beef to students in our communities,” Wayne Craig, Cactus Cares executive director and chair of TCFA’s industry relations committee. “Cattle feeders have a commitment to serve our community, and it has been an honor to be a part of this partnership to reach out and help our neighbors.” How can you help:
TCFA would like to thank the sponsors and golfers who made this event possible. Major sponsoring organizations include Amarillo National Bank, Baptist Community Services, Cactus Cares, Capital Farm Credit, Cargill, Caviness Beef Packers, Champion Feeders, Elanco, Five Rivers Cattle Co., HF&C, Hi-Pro Feeds, JD Heiskell, Kemin Industries, Micro Technologies, Nutra Blend, Panhandle Surgical and Tyson Foods.
10,000 pounds of ground beef. 10,000 pounds of potatoes. 4,700 gallons of milk. 2,000 dozen eggs. 2,000 pounds of cheese. The City of Amarillo, High Plains Food Bank and Hillside Christian Church joined forces with local agriculture producers last week to provide these commodities to families in need.
Amidst the economic and social challenges our communities face due to COVID-19, those in agriculture remain committed to giving back. Why? They care about feeding people. And when there is a need, they find a way to help. This commitment along with community volunteers and local hunger initiatives; the High Plains Food Bank Pop-Up Pantry was able to serve 2,000 families in the Amarillo area. “When the agriculture community recognizes a need, they find a way to respond,” said Wayne Craig, executive director of Cactus Cares. “Each of our industries has a commitment to serve our community, and this is just one way we can reach out and help our neighbors.” According to the HPFB, requests for food assistance increased nearly 20-fold throughout the Panhandle network since mid-March. In addition, HPFB’s distribution has increased 34% since March, and in April distributed over 845,000 pounds of food, the highest amount for that month in the organization’s history. “The High Plains is rich with agriculture production,” said Zack Wilson, executive director of the High Plains Food Bank. “We’re thankful to team up with our local farmers and ranchers as well as Hillside Christian Church to facilitate a drive-thru food pantry that will help fill the gap for families who may need a little extra to get them through this tough time.” McKenzie Hettinga, a dairy farmer from Farwell, Texas said those involved with the event were grateful to provide some stability as the community works through this time together. Supporters of the event include Affiliated Foods, Baptist Community Services, Cactus Cares, Cal-Maine Foods, Caviness Beef Packers, City of Amarillo, High Plains Food Bank, Hillside Christian Church, Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc., Jax Transport, Larsen Farms, Nutra Blend, Sarah Farms, Snack Pak 4 Kids, Southwest Dairy Farmers and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. The Amarillo area beef and dairy communities presented a check for $163,600 to the Snack Pak 4 Kids Program (SP4K). The money will provide 218,000 beef sticks to hungry students through the Snack Pak weekend hunger program. The check was presented at the first Beef 4 Kids Golf Classic (B4K), an event coordinated and led by TCFA. “When agriculture sees a need, they go and find a way to fill it,” said Dyron Howell, founder of SP4K. “There is so much negative talk about agriculture, especially about the beef and dairy industries, but what isn’t talked about enough is the commitment these industries have to serving their communities.” Howell said that, because the beef community saw a need and decided to address it, at-risk kids in the Texas Panhandle will now have access to 68 grams of beef and dairy protein each weekend. “This is protein these children would not have access to otherwise,” Howell said. The SP4K Beef Stik Program launched in October 2017 during the TCFA Convention. The program was designed to provide more protein to kids in need and allows consumers to purchase Snack Pak Beef Stiks online or in convenience stores with every purchased stick providing an additional stick to a child in need. The BOGO program combined with the money raised through the B4K tournament will provide two beef sticks for every kid at no additional cost. “This was our goal and vision when we started this project four years ago, but now this is a reality,” Howell said. “When we first started, kids would get about 10-12 grams of protein in their bags each weekend, which is woefully inadequate. Today, kids are getting 68 grams of protein in their bags.” Beef provides ten essential nutrients and vitamins, including protein, zinc and iron — three key nutrients that are essential for proper growth and development of children. The SP4K Beef Stik is made of 100% chuck roast and brisket, making it the most premium beef stick on the market.
How you can contribute:
TCFA would like to congratulate XIT Feeders on winning the tournament with a score of 54. A big thanks to all of the sponsors and golfers who made this event possible. Major sponsoring organizations include Cactus Feeders, Cargill, Nutra Blend, Caviness Beef Packers, Champion Feeders, Hi-Pro Feeds, Jax Transportation, Micro Technologies, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Tyson Foods, Baptist Community Services, Family Medical Center, Friona Industries and Kemin Industries. See coverage of the event from the Amarillo Globe News, Beef Magazine and KAMR. ![]() Wednesday marks National Jerky Day which means people from across the country will head to social media to proclaim their love for one of America's favorite snack foods. Rightfully so. Research shows that spreading protein intake evenly throughout the day - about 25 to 30 grams per meal or snack - may be the most beneficial for overall health and wellness. Snacking on beef jerky is a great way to help meet those goals. But for cattle feeders, National Jerky Day, has a deeper meaning. A few years ago, a local charity organization in the Panhandle, Snack Pak 4 Kids, came to the beef and dairy community with a need. The organization had a system in place to help end weekend hunger for local children by providing a backpack filled with kid-friendly snacks each Friday of the school year, but one key element was missing from the backpack: animal protein. And what better protein to help fuel the body and mind of a young child than beef and milk. Fast forward a few years later, and the need sparked an idea that became a reality. Now, more than 10,000 kids in the Texas Panhandle and 24,000 across the nation receive weekend bags filled with nutritious food, including the SP4K Beef Stik and Fairlife Milk, to sustain them through the weekend. The beef stick is made from 100% premium beef chuck roast and brisket and produced locally in the Texas Panhandle. The addition of these products added an extra 54 grams of protein to each bag. That's a tremendous nutritional improvement, and it is making a difference. In fact, teachers from participating schools report better attendance, academic performance and behavior. It gets better. For every beef stick you buy, another is provided for a child in need. You can help provide protein for kids in need in a number of ways: 1. Buy SP4K Beef Stiks. You can order a case online, or you can purchase in-store at Pak-A-Sak, Toot 'n Totum, Allsup's or Texas Tea. 2. Consider SP4K Beef Stiks for your next school fundraiser. Raise money for your school, club or cause and support hungry kids. 3. Sponsor protein or dairy for your local school's SP4K Program. 4. Donate live animals to the SP4K Beef Fund. Call (806) 337-5252 for logistical information. 5. Give out SP4K Beef Stiks. What better way to spread the story of the beef and dairy communities working to end childhood hunger than by giving out sticks at your next event or meeting. Every stick purchased provides another for a child in need. So far, because of your support, we've been able to provide over 160,000 beef sticks to kids, and that number keeps growing. So today, on National Jerky Day, choose beef jerky because it's delicious and makes a great snack, buy a box of SP4K Beef Stiks and help end weekend hunger, and feel good about supporting the men and women who produce beef. These folks are changing lives, and you can too.
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