OAKWOOD, OHIO — In 2020, Cooper Farms donated nearly 170,000 pounds of cooked or ready-to-cook turkey, ham and chicken, as well as more than 92,000 dozen eggs, helping to fulfill an especially high need for protein at area foodbanks.

With so many Americans losing their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio foodbanks saw double digit increases in usage in 2020.

“We donated over 30,000 pounds more meat products this year than we did last year, and three times as many eggs, so while the circumstances are unfortunate, we’re glad we were able to make that happen for these organizations,” said Cooper Farms COO, Gary Cooper.

As a food and agriculture company, Cooper Farms was considered critical infrastructure by the U.S. Government, meaning production continued throughout the COIVD-19 pandemic, to help ensure a stable food supply.

Cooper saw this as an opportunity to help those in need, while upholding the tradition Cooper Farms has for giving back to the local communities.

“We were lucky enough as a company to continue working through the pandemic, while many around us were not as lucky,” said Cooper. “Nobody was immune to this pandemic, even those in our own backyard. We’re happy to be able to provide a glimmer of hope to those that need it.”

Some of the top recipients of donations included the West Ohio Foodbank, receiving more than 106,000 pounds and the CALL Food Pantry in Celina, Ohio, receiving over 24,000 pounds of protein.