In much of the world, access to dietary protein–especially in children–is grossly insufficient, leading to malnourishment, stunted growth, disease, and even death.  We take for granted the abundance of protein in the American diet.  While protein is abundant in many plants, meat is a source of all essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) needed in the human diet.  Here at Smith Farm, we are passionate about growing quality food for our table and yours.  But what can be done for those who do not have the access that we do to nutritional foods?  We are excited to link our pastured hog production to providing protein resources to others through Hares for Haiti.  For every butcher hog that we sell from the farm, we will provide one rabbit colony to a Haitian family to raise protein-packed meat for their very own table.  This program is facilitated by local non-profit Juniper Community Missions.  Their webpage provides details on what a family receives when participating in the Hares for Haiti program.  If you’d like to know more about the program, Lancaster Farming published a story a couple of years back.  You can find them on Facebook, too.

If you’ve not been following the ongoing crisis situation in Haiti, you can read more here.  However, despite the incredibly difficult situation, Juniper continues to train farmers and provide rabbits and materials!