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Statewide Peanut Butter Collection to Fill Food Pantries Locally . . .

. . . While Supporting Communities Recovering From Hurricane Sally

October 16, 2020

Statewide Peanut Butter Collection to Fill Food Pantries Locally
While Supporting Communities Recovering From Hurricane Sally

Spread the word, and the peanut butter. The Peanut Butter Challenge, an annual jar collection that launched in the Florida Panhandle in 2012, is expanding statewide in the wake of Hurricane Sally.

Coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension faculty and volunteers, the project was conceived as a way to feed hungry families ahead of the holidays in addition to promoting a Florida-grown crop. The peanut, which is produced mainly throughout the northern regions of the state, contributed $154 million to the state economy in 2017, according to the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service.

The challenge always runs from October 1st through the day before Thanksgiving – November 25, 2020, this year – collecting unopened jars of peanut butter. Please drop off your jars of peanut butter to the UF/IFAS St. Lucie County Extension Office located at 8400 Picos Road, Suite 101, Fort Pierce, FL by November 13th in the drop box stationed outside the Extension office doors. The jars we receive will be delivered to the Food Bank to help Golf County. Staff is abiding by mask and social distancing guidelines for your safety, but contact us at 772-462-1660 ahead of time for any questions or concerns.

Peanut butter is an ever-popular item in food pantries for its nutrient density and shelf stability. The project took on new meaning this year as demand for food bank assistance had increased as an economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Hurricane Sally made landfall on September 16th, affecting much of the Panhandle, UF/IFAS Extension offices around the state sought a way to help. In joining the Peanut Butter Challenge, statewide participation will support communities locally as well as those recovering from Hurricane Sally.

In addition to the community donations, the Florida Peanut Producers Association (FPPA) and Florida Peanut Federation (FPF) also contribute to the collection effort. At the end of the Challenge, the organizations’ donated jars are distributed to participating counties’ food pantries, proportional to the amount each county collects. This year, to help the Hurricane Sally-affected areas, other counties will contribute to the totals in the Northwest counties to increase their match potential.