Provide Kids in Need Protein on National Jerky Day

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.

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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. ​​