Montanans helping Montanans, once again

Press release

The Town Pump Charitable Foundation, a longtime supporter of the Producer Partnership, recently awarded the partnership a grant for $30,000.

“We are grateful to the Town Pump Charitable Foundation for its ongoing investment in our mission. This grant will pay for the processing of 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of hamburger much needed protein for Montanans battling food insecurity,” Producer Partnership Board of Directors Vice President Dan Walker said.

The Producer Partnership is a non-profit organization whose mission is farmers and ranchers working to end hunger in Montana. The steps to achieve this mission are simple: cull, process, donate.

Depending on cattle prices, producers have two choices when removing a cull animal from the herd: sell it (in most cases) for a very low price or bury it on the ranch. 

A producer now has a third option — partner up with the Producer Partnership to process your animal (we coordinate pickup and pay for the processing); you donate the burger, and, in return you receive a tax deduction (depending on your personal or corporate tax status) for the fair market value of the donated meat.

Through this simple and generous process, the Producer Partnership has currently donated over 96,882 pounds of beef within two years of operation.

The Town Pump Charitable Foundation was established in 1999 with the mission of providing financial support to Montana charitable or governmental organizations with a priority of supporting/meeting basic needs and education for Montana citizens. As such, their mission aligns perfectly with the Producer Partnership’s mission statement and driving forces: “Farmers and ranchers working to end hunger in Montana.”

The donation continues the partnership forged last year between the Town Pump Charitable Foundation and the Producer Partnership created when the foundation awarded the partnership an inaugural $30,000 grant.

“Town Pump is pleased to partner with Producer Partnership once again in 2022. Their unique approach to providing ground beef to the Montana Food Bank Network and their partner food banks demonstrates that we are all truly Montanans Helping Montanans,” Town Pump Charitable Foundation Director Bill McGladdery said.

It takes support from all quarters to end hunger in the Big Sky State. As a nonprofit organization, the Producer Partnership welcomes and depends upon donor support to fulfill its mission.

“Foundation grants, corporate sponsorship, and individual donations allow the Producer Partnership to work closely with farmers and ranchers across Montana,” Walker concluded. “Together, our partnership will continue to work tirelessly to end hunger in the state.”

People who would like to donate their time, animals, or funds to the Producer Partnership can visit http://www.producerpartnership.com or call Producer Partnership President and Founder Matt Pierson at 406-220-7223.

For more information about the Producer Partnership, people can visit http://www.producerpartnership.com or follow on Facebook @producerpartnership or Instagram @producer.partnership.

People who would, or people who know someone who would, like to donate an animal or gift a cash donation can, contact Matt Pierson via email at [email protected] or call 406-220-7223, or Mayzie Cremer via email at [email protected] or call 903-905-6029. Contact People can call Cremer for employee/volunteer opportunities as well.

How it works

Step 1: The producer, a farmer or rancher selects an animal(s) from their herd. This may be cull animal.

The producer contacts Pierson or one of the local volunteers offering the donation of the animal to the Partnership. If the animal meets the Producer Partnership strict health and condition criteria, the process moves to Step 2. 

Step 2: The producer (or an approved partnership volunteer) loads the animal and transports it to a USDA or state processing facility that has been vetted and selected by the partnership. When an approved processor is not available locally, the partnership will pick up the animal from the producer and transport it to an approved holding corral.

When ready, the animal is processed into hamburger and the partnership pays the bill.

Step 3: When the frozen meat is ready for pickup, the partnership contacts the local food bank, community center or other approved non-profit agency. The meat is either delivered by a partnership volunteer or picked up by the receiving organization for individual distribution to those with food insecurity.