News Release
Saunders County Soybean Farmers’ SoyCow Campaign in Final Stretch
More than $8200 Cash Raised, $6300 Needed to Ship Soybeans, Install Equipment & Train Recipients Who Will Use U.S. Soy to Feed Abused Girls in Guatemala
July 11, 2009…Nebraska Soybean Association...Saunders County soybean farmers are making a final push in their campaign to purchase a SoyCow unit through the World Soy Foundation and provide nutritious soy-based foods to hundreds of hungry children in Guatemala. World Soy Foundation Executive Director Jim Hershey has just returned from Guatemala where local supporters contributed $2500 and expressed their gratitude and enthusiasm for soy and its benefits to make a long-term difference in the lives of dozens of abused girls.
World Soy Foundation Executive Director Jim Hershey serves up some soymilk to a group of girls in Guatemala. Soy protein can make an enormous difference in the diets of Guatemalan children.If the project is completely supported, the Guatemalan girls will not only receive soyfoods to improve their diets. They will also receive nutrition training and older girls will learn business skills through the sales and marketing of the extra foods produced by the SoyCow. With this goal in mind, Saunders County farmers launched a fundraising effort in January. Nebraska Soybean Association President Debbie Borg presented a $200 check to the county group to help kick start their campaign. To date, they have raised $8200 in cash to purchase the unit, which Guatemala City supporters leveraged. The Nebraska Soybean Checkoff Board has contributed funds that will purchase approximately 16 tons of U.S. soybeans for use in the project.
“We are excited to see how close we are to our goal that will ensure protein-rich soybeans are available to make a long-term difference in children’s lives,” said Saunders County Soybean Growers President Doug Bartek, a grower from Wahoo. “The World Soy Foundation is an established U.S. farmer-led organization that is ready to put our soybeans to work making a difference in diets of children who really need it.”
“The Saunders County initiative is an excellent way for the World Soy Foundation to leverage farmer dollars through partnerships with hunger and development groups as well as the U.S. soybean industry,” said World Soy Foundation Executive Director Jim Hershey. “Groups in Guatemala are eager to put the SoyCow and U.S. soybeans to work nourishing children as well as providing a tool that will train them to be entrepreneurs. The nutritional and business training these girls receive can make a long-term difference in their individual lives as well as help make the overall effort sustainable.”
A SoyCow is a processing system that can grind and cook whole soybeans into soymilk, from which beverages, soya “cheese” (tofu), yogurt and other soyfoods can be made. One pound of dry soybeans makes approximately one gallon of soymilk or yogurt. The World Soy Foundation and its partners have worked with groups in multiple developing countries that use the SoyCows to produce foods for orphanages and still have food available to sell, making the operations economically sustainable.
Nebraska soybean growers and their peers across the nation were instrumental in creation of the World Soy Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization. The World Soy Foundation works with private voluntary and non-governmental organizations to deliver soy protein and nutrition education to people who need it around the world. Projects sponsored by the World Soy Foundation include complementary foods for children 6-36 months, school feeding programs and nutrition assessment and research services.
