Canadian grain company Viterra has once again teamed up with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and local grain growers to help address the issue of world hunger.
In 2019, more than 250 acres of Viterra-owned farmland located near the company’s grain terminals at Lethbridge, Stettler and Trochu, Alta., as well as Raymore and Grenfell, Sask., were used to grow crops in support of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
Local growers and community groups contributed labour, equipment and resources, with proceeds from the crops produced donated to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
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This is the third consecutive year that Viterra has donated the use of company-owned land on a rent-free basis.
In addition to providing access to farmland, Viterra will also donate $5 to the Foodgrains Bank for each tonne of crop that is donated to the organization by individual grain growers and delivered to one of Viterra’s 69 elevator locations in Western Canada.
“Our partnership with the Foodgrains Bank provides Viterra and our farmers with a great opportunity to give back to those in need and raise awareness about a very important issue (world hunger),” said Viterra’s North American president and chief executive officer Kyle Jeworski.
“Even during a difficult harvest such as this one, the uptake has been great and really exemplifies the giving spirit of our farmers.”
Jim Cornelius, executive director of the Canadian Foodgrains bank, said his organization’s partnership with Viterra is an example of how Canadian farmers, communities and businesses can work together to make a meaningful impact on the lives of hungry people around the world.
“It takes everyone doing their part to make a growing project a success,” Cornelius said.
Mikaela Lemay, an agronomist who led the growing project at Trochu, said the farmers who contributed to the project felt compelled to help those who are less fortunate.
“In agriculture we are so fortunate, so blessed to actually know where our food comes from,” Lemay said.
“And we struggle, we work hard, but we also reap all the benefits. I’ve just felt so compelled to give back to people who are less fortunate, and what a better way to do it?”
Lemay said young farmers are eager to share information with people who are not familiar with agriculture.
“I thought this project would be a great way to help hungry people overseas while starting conversations about Canadian agriculture,” she said.
