Friendly rivalry pays off: Ohio Pork Council donates pork after Big Ten football championship

INDIANAPOLIS — A friendly wager between the pork associations in Indiana and Ohio has paid off for Hoosier families in need of high-quality protein this holiday season.

“Congratulations to the Indiana Hoosiers on their win over Ohio State,” said Josh Trenary, Indiana Pork executive director.

“We are pleased to accept the $2,000 donation to our Hoosier Hogs to Homes program from the Ohio Pork Council. During this holiday season, we are thankful to be able to provide nutritious protein to those in need.”

During the NCAA game Dec. 6 in Indianapolis, Indiana beat Ohio State 13-10 for their first Big Ten championship since 1967 while locking up the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

The donation by the Ohio Pork Council should provide roughly 2,400 servings of pork to Hoosier families.

“Indiana pig farmers are passionate about feeding our neighbors,” said Jackie Bowman Ponder, who accepted the donation on behalf of Indiana Pork.

“We know how great the need is around the holiday season so we are excited that the Ohio Pork Council wanted to make this friendly bet and the IU Hoosiers came out as the winner.”

Feeding More People

Indiana Pork also partnered with the South Bend Cubs to donate 2,000 ground pork meals to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.

This comes after the team sold 500 pork items at Four Winds Field during a series of games in June.

For each pork item sold, a ground pork meal was donated to help members of the community. This was the first year for the partnership.

“The pantry doesn’t always have access to protein,” said Marijo Martinec, CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. “Our guests will be excited to have ground pork available to them as a versatile option for their family dinner tables.”