Farm Bureau celebrates Food Check-Out Week, donates to Ronald McDonald Houses

BUCKHANNON, WV –As in years past, the cost of food for American consumers continues to remain affordable, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable income for food, an amount that has continued to decline steadily during the past 35 years. In just 36 calendar days, American workers earn enough to pay their food bill for the entire year. Compare that to the estimated 77 days it takes for Americans to pay their annual federal tax bill, and food becomes an even bigger bargain.

Despite continually escalating regulatory costs and input prices for fuel and energy, America's farmers and ranchers are still the most efficient and productive in the world. In observance of America's abundance of affordable food, the West Virginia Farm Bureau will celebrate Food Check-Out Week, February 4-10, 2008. As part of the observance, WVFB will donate food and supplies to each of the three Ronald McDonald houses located in West Virginia.

The Ronald McDonald houses, located in Huntington, Charleston and Morgantown, provide overnight housing, cooking, bathing and laundry facilities for families of sick children undergoing treatment at local hospitals. These facilities are available at low or no cost to the family members, a real boon to those struggling with the expenses of a catastrophic illness. During Food Check-Out Week, WVFB members volunteer to shop at area grocery stores, purchasing meats, non-perishable foods and paper products at local supermarkets and donating the items to each Ronald McDonald House.

“We look forward to Food Check Out Day every year,” says Jeannie Kuhn, Special Events Coordinator at the Morgantown house. “The WVFB stocks our freezers with meats, roasts, and other main ingredients for meals. Last year’s donations helped to get us through to Thanksgiving. Our families are extremely grateful.”

Representing more than 17,000 members, the West Virginia Farm Bureau was founded in 1919 to provide leadership, education, information, training and economic services to county farm bureaus to enhance the quality of life for its membership.

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