Volunteers Needed
Park County, Montana; April 13, 2022 — As Montana nonprofit the Producer Partnership reflects on their two years of operation, the organization reflects on its mission of “farmers and ranchers working to end hunger in Montana.” A whopping 96,882 pounds of animal protein was donated by the Partnership in the past two years, and this feat would not have been possible if it weren’t for the generosity of Montanans across the state. In the past, the Producer Partnership has asked for donations in the form of cull animals and money — now, the organization asks for a donation of your time.
In December 2021 the four modules of Montana’s first ever federally inspected, nonprofit processing facility were delivered to Producer Partnership headquarters. The unit’s doors are set to open this spring and Partnership employs are busier than ever before preparing an anticipated influx of business. This new venture leaves room for volunteers to donate their time and lend a helping hand.
“Over the past two years, so many people volunteered their time to help the Producer Partnership but, in all honesty, we didn’t have much for them to do — until now,” Producer Partnership President and Founder Matt Pierson said. “All those people who volunteered to haul a trailer to their neighbors house and pick up cull cows or said they’d run packaged beef from our place to the food bank; now is the time we’ll be taking them up on that offer.”
Another avenue of volunteering is boxing up packaged beef, a duty that does not require a truck and trailer.
“When I was in high school, my friends and I always looked for anything to get some volunteer hours as it helped meet requirements for scholarships,” Producer Partnership Program Administrator Mayzie Cremer stated. “Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a school bus or a few carloads of students come up the driveway to help out for an hour every now and then?”
The Producer Partnership recognizes this unique opportunity for middle school and high school students interested in agriculture. This is also a unique opportunity for local 4-H clubs and FFA chapters to get their hands dirty and exemplify the FFA motto as it proudly states “living to serve.”
“If any 4-H or FFA kids want some volunteer hours, we’ve got their fix,” Cremer said. “They can call, text, email, or even send a direct message on Instagram and we’ll give them more information. The same goes for anyone out of school who wants to volunteer. We’ll need people to haul cattle and boxes of beef to and from; volunteer opportunities aren’t limited to students.”
Pierson add the organization welcomes the help of all generous Montanans and referenced the Partnership’s vision statement, an explanation of the organization’s Heart P Bar logo which reads, “The Heart P Bar is more than our brand: the Heart is a symbol of our gratitude, love, and respect for the land and the food bounty it provides us every day; the P represents a collaborative partnership of generous individuals, businesses, and community leaders; and the Bar binds us all together as one state working together to end hunger in Montana.”
“Our vision statement and our mission make it clear we just want to help those in need. It may take a village to live up to those goals and standards, and we want anyone and everyone to be a part of that village,” Pierson concluded.
If you would like to donate your time to the Producer Partnership, visit https://www.producerpartnership.com/volunteer, email mayzie@producerpartnership.com, or call Matt Pierson at (406) 220-7223 or Mayzie Cremer at (903) 905-6029. Forms for completed volunteer hours will be available at Producer Partnership headquarters.
