Praise

Through this first Miracle Project of the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation, we’re able to help a very deserving group of people that have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and help some Utah sheep ranchers at the same time. These ranchers have had their market for lamb reduced significantly with restaurants operating at limited capacity.

We lost both of our major food drives this year due to Covid-19, and at the same time, we’re seeing a large increase in people applying for help. We’re overwhelmed by the support from Malouf and the Farmers Feeding Utah (campaign). We’ll use these funds to make sure our local families have food on their tables.

We are excited to be a partner with the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation and its “Farmers Feeding Utah” campaigns. It aligns perfectly with the work we do to provide food access to Utah families and individuals.  I love the plan of the organization: deliver locally-sourced commodities that hungry Utahns need through donations and purchases. It helps address Utah’s food insecurity and hunger needs. Connecting food with hungry people will change our future. It will change the economic, health and educational condition of our youth.

With record-breaking numbers of families needing help during this unprecedented time, connecting them with our state’s agriculture families and the local food they produce just makes sense. We think the “Farmers Feeding Utah” campaigns of the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation are a great way to keep our valuable industry going and reduce the gaps in our food supply chain.

This [sheep donation from the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation] will probably be the single most important thing that happens during this pandemic. The [Navajo community members] will take these sheep, and it will provide food and nourishment to their families, probably until this is over. {NOTE: Larkin has led coordination of the Church’s humanitarian efforts on the Navajo Reservation during the Covid-19 pandemic.}

Because of Covid-19, some people are on lockdown quarantine and they feel lonely and depressed. They feel that maybe no one is thinking about them. With these sheep (from the farmers in Utah and the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation), people tell me it has given them hope and helps them know someone cares about them. Sheep are very symbolic of hope and prosperity. You will see people here very happy to get sheep, and they will utilize every bit of the sheep to give them hope.

The Cache Food Pantry has lost two of our major food drives this past year – the Boy Scouts of America and the Post Office food drives – due to Coronavirus, and so the food donations used to sustain families are gone. There are more clients than ever because of being out of work, and grocery stores have been less able to donate because the rush of shoppers. Ultimately, we’re just looking to serve individuals and families in need — especially those that have fallen through the cracks. That’s why the work of the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation and its Farmers Feeding Utah campaigns are so critical.

As the land-grant university that is proud to count so many farmers and ranchers as alumni, I can think of no better way to help them during this difficult time — and help needy families as well — than what this Miracle of Agriculture Foundation program has been doing. I’m proud to have our ‘Hunger Solutions Institute’ and Extension play such a significant role in helping individuals and families in Utah, including our own students, get the food they need. I would encourage current and former Aggies everywhere to visit FarmersFeedingUtah.org and consider how you may be able to contribute.