Friendly competition among Moniteau County 4-Hers resulted in the equivalent of more than 35,000 meals in collected donations during a month-long food drive last month.
Clubs throughout the county got creative as they teamed up with community partners through canned food drives and donation boxes during the month of March in conjunction with the statewide 4-H Feeding Missouri food drive.
California's Show-Me 4-H Club challenged other local clubs to a pizza party competition, with the winner receiving $100 toward a pizza party sponsored by the Moniteau 4-H Council. Tipton's 4-H Club was declared the winner, collecting donations equaling 14,073 meals. The Eager Eagles 4-H Club came in second with donations equaling 11,645 meals, and third place went to Show-Me with an equivalent of 4,706 meals collected.
In total, five clubs - along with 4-H members from all over Moniteau County - worked hard during the month of March and collected a total of 35,816 meals, all donated to local food banks and nutrition centers in Moniteau County.
Three thousand of those meals came from a matching grant applied for by Show-Me 4-H club and donated by Missouri Farmers Care.
Thanks to the generosity of the community,Moniteau County's total puts it in the running for the 4-H Feeding Missouri Food Drive County Contest. Counties compete in four areas: Food Raiser, Fund Raiser, Volunteer Hours and Overall (Equivalent) Meals.
Although the contest for the pizza party among county clubs has come to a close, the County Contest continues until the end of April when the 4-H Feeding Missouri food drive officially ends. Donations can still be made at feedingmissouri.org/4h/ or by contacting a local 4-H club to donate in your area.