UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County Presents:  The Peanut Butter Challenge!  A peanut butter donation event to help fight hunger!

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Spread the word, peanut butter fights hunger!

UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County will be participating in the Statewide Peanut Butter Challenge.  The Challenge will run from Oct. 1st through October 31st.  Extension Services will be collecting unopened jars of peanut butter to help fight hunger. You can drop off the jars at any of the 5 Monroe County facilities:

  • Gato- 1100 Simonton St. Suite 2-260 Key West
  • Marathon Government Center- 2798 Overseas Hwy. Suite 400  Marathon
  • Harvey Government Center- 1200 Truman Avenue Suite 207  Key West
  • Monroe County Ellis Building- 88800 Overseas Hwy. Suite 6  Plantation Key
  • Murray Nelson Government Center- 102050 Overseas Hwy. Key Largo  Main Entrance

Coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension and FAMU faculty, staff and volunteers, the competition among counties – for bragging rights only – was conceived as a way to feed hungry families ahead of the holidays in addition to promoting a Florida-grown crop. The peanut, which is produced mainly throughout the northern regions of the state, contributed $147 million to the state economy in 2022, according to the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service.

Peanut butter is an ever-popular item in food pantries because of its nutrient density and shelf stability. The project took on new meaning in 2020 as it spread statewide for the first time as demand for food bank assistance had increased as an economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest numbers from the United States Department of Agriculture shows food insecurity affected roughly one in 10 Floridians in 2021.

In addition to the community donations, the Florida Peanut Producers Association (FPPA) and Florida Peanut Federation (FPF) have partnered with the project for years. These organizations are based in the northwest and northeast peanut-producing regions of the state and will again contribute to the totals distributed to food pantries in those regions.

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