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:  
 

1. Share the Snack Pak and Beef Stik story your social media channels. 2.
2. Give monetarily to the Beef Stick program.  
3. Sponsor your community or a local child. 

  
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.”

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.