MANKATO, MN (June 3, 2016) - Archer Daniels Midland Company recently donated $6,000 to Feeding Our Communities Partners (FOCP). The donation will go toward funding the BackPack Food Program.

”This kind of support allows us to feed hungry tummies on the weekend so that teachers can feed their minds on Monday morning,” said Kristin Weeks-Duncanson, FOCP board chair. “This grant helps us to maintain the program and to be a source of hunger-relief for the students who rely on it.”

The BackPack Food Program discreetly provides low-income students with packs of well-balanced, child-friendly meals to take home for weekends and scheduled school breaks. Launched in March 2010, enrollment currently exceeds 940 students at all fifteen public elementary schools in Blue Earth County and North Mankato. During the 2015-16 school year, the program was able scale its reach to include the three additional school districts of Mapleton, St. Clair, and Lake Crystal.

The donation was given through ADM Cares. ADM Cares is a social investment program that directs funds to initiatives and organizations that drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress worldwide. The program comprises three distinct focus areas: supporting the responsible development of agriculture, improving the quality of life in ADM communities and fostering employee giving and volunteer activities.