Hi, I’m Jaime Sackmann. I’m a cattle rancher and mom in eastern Washington. There are a couple of big reasons I love participating in Beef Counts – Washington’s Beef Community United Against Hunger. The first reason is all about the beef. Beef Counts makes it simple for ranchers to provide protein-rich beef to people who would likely go without. As parents, we all do the best we can to provide our children what they need. Helping other moms fill a potential nutrition gap for their kids with high quality beef protein is a very personal way for ranchers like me to help.
In ranching, there is quite a bit of uncertainty, but I don’t take for granted that no matter what, we have a freezer of beef to meet the family’s needs. We know many local families face uncertainty and challenging times. We want to be there for them. But we can’t go hauling a steer to the food bank now, can we? Beef Counts is the coordinated effort in partnership with Food Lifeline that turns every dollar donated, into beef to reach those in need.
The second reason we love the program is about community. We’re not just some big industry. From pasture to plate, we are individuals and businesses working together in our different roles to get beef on the table. Beef Counts connects independent ranchers like us, with beef companies, grocers, beef shoppers, and Food Lifeline to make a bigger impact. For example, in March Washington’s Beef Community, Double R Ranch Beef and Haggen stores will donate at least $25,000 to Beef Counts and during the month, beef shoppers will have the opportunities to help get the same beef they enjoy to those in need in their own communities.
On your local Haggen shopping trip, find one of the $5 donation tags placed at the meat counter. Add it to your purchase at the register, and 100% of that donation will get more beef to Food Lifeline. If you are in the Bellingham area, stop by the Beef Counts BBQ Fundraiser at the Barkley Haggen store on March 4. For a $5 Beef Counts donation, you can have a Double R Ranch gourmet burger or All Beef Frank, chips and a drink for lunch.
Thank you to everyone who is joining us in the fight against hunger, one nutritious beef serving at a time! You can visit wabeef.org/beefcounts for more information or go here to donate any time. If you’d like to know more about how our family and others raise beef right here in Washington, you can read our WABeefLove stories. You can also browse beef FAQ’s and recipes.
