Manitoba Pork Council’s mission is to foster the sustainability and prosperity of the pork industry for hog farmers and all Manitobans. This is indeed Manitoba’s pork industry, and in that spirit, MPC wants to share its prosperity with the rest of the province, even when producers are struggling themselves.
Each of 15 directors is given $1,000 per year to spend on a charitable project within their district. In 2008 for example, Wendy Friesen, director of District 5, gave her portion to the volunteer appreciation event following the Manitoba Summer Games, which were hosted by the town of Carman.
Through the Meat Quality Competition during Hog and Poultry Days in December 2008, the pork industry donated pork from 52 carcasses to Winnipeg Harvest. This is in addition to the 1 tonne of pork sausages given to Harvest at MPC’s annual meeting in April 2008. In fact, since 1996, through these events, the Manitoba pork industry has donated over $250,000 to rural and urban charities, and more than 30,000 kg of the finest quality meat to feed fellow Manitobans.
Last year, pork producers also turned what was an unfortunate event for them into something that could benefit Manitobans in need. Meat from pigs euthanized as part of the National Cull Breeding Swine Program was ground and donated to Harvest. The total came to 149,581 kg.
Manitoba Pork Council (MPC) has also been pleased to partner with Winnipeg Harvest to present Food Cycle 2009, a major fundraising event for Harvest and the Manitoba Association of Food Banks.
Harvest supporter and cyclist Ken Livingstone is pedalling the winding route of the Trans Canada Trail from the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border through rural Manitoba and Winnipeg to the Manitoba-Ontario border. Food Cycle’s 1,286 kilometre drive happens May 22-June 7.