From Grain to Good: How Illinois Farmers Are Feeding Neighbors This Harvest

Each fall, as combines roll through golden fields, farmers across Illinois harvest more than crops. They harvest a chance to give back.

Grain for Good invites farmers to donate a portion of their grain at a participating elevator. That grain is sold, and the funds go toward purchasing locally raised ground pork. Then it’s processed by a local meat processor and distributed through Feeding Illinois member food banks, all the way to pantries serving nearby communities.

Everything stays local. From the farm to the elevator, to the processor and the pantry; this is a full-circle effort that keeps the impact right here in Illinois.

Bailey Parks-Moore sees that impact firsthand. As Donor Relations Manager at Eastern Illinois Foodbank, she helps coordinate Grain for Good across 21 counties. She grew up around agriculture. That background makes this work personal.

“I’ve seen both sides,” she says. “I’ve seen the producers, and now I work every day with pantries who are just trying to get protein on the shelf. This campaign brings those two worlds together.”

Protein is one of the most requested items at food pantries, and often the hardest to provide. Last year, Eastern Illinois Foodbank received more than 3,000 pounds of ground pork through the Grain for Good initiative. That donation went straight to Open Arms Food Pantry in Woodford County.

“All of it came from grain donated through local elevators,” Bailey explains. “We turned it into ground pork, processed it at a local locker, and delivered it to a pantry ten miles away. Every step happened in the same community.”

That local connection is what makes Grain for Good so unique. Farmers give grain through participating elevators like Total Grain Marketing or Premier Cooperative. The proceeds stay local, often used within the same county to buy pork from nearby producers. The pork is processed at trusted lockers like Bittner’s Eureka Locker, then distributed to pantries that already serve the community.

This year’s campaign is supported by both new and long-time partners. Two participating elevators: Premier Cooperative and Total Grain Marketing’s Champaign location are helping local farmers turn their harvest into protein for nearby pantries. 

Bailey recalls attending a recent Premier Cooperative crop tour, where she stood in a machine shed full of producers and shared how simple it is to donate. “These are people who care deeply about their communities,” she says. “Grain for Good just gives them a way to show that.”

“We were in a machine shed full of producers,” she recalls. “We got to talk about how easy it is to donate, how everything stays local, and what a difference it makes. These are people who care deeply about their communities. Grain for Good just gives them a way to show that.”

She emphasizes that this initiative is designed for farmers during harvest. No extra trips. No extra time. Just a simple conversation at the elevator. All donations are tax-deductible, and participating elevators make it easy.

“Grain for Good isn’t just a program,” Bailey says. “It’s a way to restore dignity and connection. A farmer donates grain and a family gets to cook pork in their own kitchen. That’s impact you can feel.”

She’s quick to thank everyone involved, from the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, Central Illinois Foodbank, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Association of Meat Processors, Illinois Corn Growers Association, Illinois Soybean Association, Premier Cooperative, Total Grain Marketing, Feeding Illinois; to the lockers, food banks, and elevator staff who make the program possible.

“This doesn’t work without all of us,” she says. “We’ve built trust. We’ve built relationships. We’re not just delivering food. We’re building something that lasts.”

For Bailey, the goal is simple. Help farmers feed the communities they’re already a part of.

To learn more or get involved, visit feedingillinois.org/grain-for-good or ask your local elevator about donating grain.

Because this harvest, the best thing we can grow is a stronger community.