The Iowa Pork Producers Association’s Pork in the Pantry initiative has successfully provided more than 50,000 meals to underprivileged individuals in Iowa over the past few months. The program was made possible by the collaboration of 40 county pork producer organizations who donated pork to local food pantries, with the Iowa Pork Producers Association matching up to $1,000 per county, amounting to almost $40,000 statewide. The donations included a variety of pork products, from bacon to precooked deli ham, with many groups purchasing the pork from local meat lockers and grocery stores. Participating counties included Adair, Adams, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Cedar, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Clayton, Delaware, Des Moines, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Henry, Howard, Ida, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Madison, Marshall, O’Brien, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Sioux, Webster, Winneshiek, and Taylor. According to IPPA President Trish Cook, the success of the program exceeded their expectations. The initiative also helped keep local dollars in the communities by purchasing pork from area meat lockers and grocery stores.