4-H members achieve 10,000-hour hunger service goal, keep going

4-H members across Missouri contributed over 10,500 hours of service to fighting hunger in their communities last year. 4-H clubs and individual youth organized food drives, planted community gardens, hosted dinners, made public presentations, and promoted the Invest an Acre program as part of a yearlong 4-H campaign to find solutions to hunger through service.

According to one regional food bank representative, "4-H opened doors for us that would have taken months to open one-by-one. We are thrilled to have 4-H working alongside of us."

Barton, Boone, and Dade County 4-H conducted hunger demonstration projects that added over 3,400 hours to the campaign. One-hundred and sixty 4-H clubs from over 50 counties also carried out projects in their schools and communities around hunger awareness, hunger relief, or food security.

Hannah Huber, Perry County 4-H, was recognized as the top female youth for contributing 120 hours to helping her county jumpstart a recycling program at the fairgrounds, with proceeds going toward a local hunger organization.

Tony Morgan, Barton County 4-H, received recognition as the top male youth, investing 96 hours in promoting Invest an Acre to local farmers and grain elevators.

The 2014 Missouri State Fair will present another opportunity for 4-Hers to go above and beyond. Missouri Farmers Care is organizing a 14-foot Canstruction™ canned food sculpture of the 4-H Clover to be built and on display in the Ag Building, August 7-17, as a tribute to the efforts of Missouri 4-Hers to fight hunger, but more importantly to raise awareness of all that still needs to be done.

4-H youth are challenged to join in the Missouri State Fair food drive by collecting canned food items. Youth can bring canned food items to the fair, or donate them to a local food pantry and report the total number of items collected when they arrive at the fair.

4-H youth accompanied by an adult chaperone can also sign up to work at the 4-H Clover Canstruction™ booth during various days and times throughout the fair, August 7-17.

Many organizations work together to build the Canstruction® project, including Missouri Farmers Care, Missouri State Fair, Canstruction® of Mid-Missouri, and Canstruction, Inc.®. Trabue, Hansen & Hinshaw, Inc. and Peckham & Wright Architects are designing and overseeing construction of the sculpture and Bing's Grocery Stores of Sedalia is donating all of the cans for the project.

Missouri 4-H is a community of over 280,000 youth ages 5-18 from rural farming communities, suburban schoolyards, and urban neighborhoods across Missouri. In the Show Me State, 4-H members are guided by over 10,000 caring adult volunteers. The 4-H Revolution of Responsibility is a movement of young people across America stepping up to lead in a complex, changing world. University of Missouri Extension 4-H is the youth development program of the nation's Cooperative Extension system.