July 27, 2023 (Alexandria, Va.)—The American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) and the Georgia Peanut Commission today donated more than two tons of peanut butter to America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. The donation is part of the organization’s 55th annual meeting, which took place earlier this month in Savannah.
During the meeting (July 11-13), APRES members contributed donations which, when totaled, provided for the purchase of two pallets of peanut butter. The Georgia Peanut Commission matched the donation with a third pallet for a total of 4,320, 16-ounce jars of Peanut Proud peanut butter. Peanut Proud works with the peanut industry to support communities in need.
During the 2022 APRES annual meeting, members decided to begin donating peanut butter to food banks in the cities where the organization’s annual meetings are held. The Savannah meeting was the first opportunity to put their plan into action.
“We feel it is important to give back to these communities and leave a lasting impression of the product we all work so hard to grow and improve through research,” said Darlene Cowart, chair of the APRES Public Relations Committee and Vice President of Food Safety and Quality at Birdsong Peanuts. “The APRES community responded strongly to the request.”
America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia is a local, volunteer-driven, nonprofit food bank and community organization that serves as the food safety net for tens of thousands of children, senior citizens, low-income families and people with disabilities who are at risk for hunger throughout Coastal Georgia.
“I am forever grateful to all those who donated, organized and helped deliver the peanut butter,” continued Cowart. “Donating these three pallets to America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia food bank has been the highlight of APRES for me.”
The APRES 57th annual meeting will be held July 9-11, 2024, in Oklahoma City.
A Bounty of Goodness: Mary Jane Crouch, Executive Director of Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, gratefully surrounded by 30,000 jars of peanut butter donated by the Georgia Peanut Commission, APRES, and Peanut Proud.
