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Media Contact:
Dorothy C. Lee
850-475-5230, ext. 1113
The Peanut Butter Challenge is an annual jar collection for local food pantries hosted by UF/IFAS Extension and Florida A&M University (FAMU) Cooperative Extension. Launched in the Florida Panhandle counties in 2012, it is again spreading statewide this year.
Unopened jars of peanut butter can be donated to the Escambia County Extension office, located at 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment, Fla 32533, from Oct. 1-31. The public can also follow along at Escambia County Extension's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
Other collection sites include:
Coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension and FAMU faculty, staff and volunteers, the competition among counties – for bragging rights only – 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 $147 million to the state economy in 2022, according to the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service.
Peanut butter is an ever-popular item in food pantries because of its nutrient density and shelf stability. The project took on new meaning in 2020 as it spread statewide for the first time as demand for food bank assistance had increased as an economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest numbers from the United States Department of Agriculture shows food insecurity affected roughly one in 10 Floridians in 2021.
In addition to the community donations, the Florida Peanut Producers Association (FPPA) and Florida Peanut Federation (FPF) have partnered with the project for years. These organizations are based in the northwest and northeast peanut-producing regions of the state and will again contribute to the totals distributed to food pantries in those regions.
Last year’s Peanut Butter Challenge collected a total of 27,258 pounds of the nutritious spread from 48 Florida counties.
“This program grows each year through grassroots community support and simple word of mouth,” said Jennifer Bearden, agricultural agent for UF/IFAS Extension Okaloosa County and co-organizer of the Challenge this year. “I love that we had our partners at FAMU join in the friendly competition last year. It’s such a great way to highlight not only the importance of the crop to our agriculture industry, but also the nutritional value peanuts can offer our neighbors who are food-insecure.”
To join or partner with Escambia County’s collection this year, call (850) 475-5230.
More information about the Peanut Butter Challenge can be found at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/peanutbutter.
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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human, and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
The mission of Escambia County government is to provide efficient, responsive services that enhance our quality of life, meet common needs and promote a safe and healthy community.
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