PB&J Party helps fight hunger

TIFTON — Peanut officials collaborated with a University of Georgia student organization to feed the hungry while highlighting the importance of agriculture by hosting a PB&J Party on the Athens campus.

At the event on Nov. 16, officials with the Georgia Peanut Commission said, volunteers from two UGA student professional organizations — Alpha Gamma Rho and Sigma Alpha — made more than 1,200 sandwiches in a single hour.

“Service is one of the core values of Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, so we were thrilled to have this opportunity to contribute to our community members in need while promoting one of Georgia’s top commodities with the Georgia Peanut Commission,” Rebecca Fortner, Sigma Alpha philanthropy chair, said. “The PB&J party was a perfect way to not only have fun and make memories together as a chapter, but also directly see the charitable impact that an agricultural organization can have.”

The commission, which hosted the party as part of its Peanut Butter Lovers Month observance, and the campus organizations packaged the food and donated it to Athens-area ministries including the Salvation Army, Atlanta Missions – Potters House, and Action Ministries.

“Action Ministries is an organization that mobilizes the community to address the challenges of poverty through hunger, housing and education solutions, and as such, the work that the Georgia Peanut Commission’s PB&J Party does towards celebrating people is deeply important to the well-being of our city,” Solomon Smothers, regional director of Action Ministries said.

Peanut butter for the event was donated by Peanut Proud Inc., a non-profit, humanitarian organization in the U.S. peanut industry. Since the organization’s formation, Peanut Proud has donated products to community food banks across the U.S., as we well as areas affected by natural disasters, after-school programs and international aid efforts.

Gregg Grimsley, president of Peanut Proud, calls peanut butter “food bank gold” and says that gives the peanut industry a unique position to provide humanitarian assistance. “It is really gratifying to be part of an industry that is willing to donate as much time, effort and financial resources to helping people in need,” Grimsley said.

Those wishing to donate to Peanut Proud can do so by visiting www.peanutproud.com or by mailing a check to Peanut Proud, P.O. Box 446, Blakely, Ga., 39823. Every dollar donated will cover the cost of one jar of peanut butter, which can make up to 15 sandwiches for a family in need.

Peanuts are the official state crop, generating more than $2.2 billion to the state’s economy in 2017.