Regional Industry & News

New partnership delivers more than 25,000 dozen eggs to Appalachian communities

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - Thousands of families across Appalachia are receiving a boost of protein to their tables with a major donation from the Appalachia Egg Company providing 25,400 dozen pastured eggs to The Farm Ministry.

The exchange happened Tuesday morning at the Rockingham Cooperative in Timberville, with Appalachia Egg Company donating the eggs for the Farm Ministry to distribute to communities in need. The retail value of the donation is more than $203,000, and the eggs will provide protein for a total of 152,400 meals.

Keith Turner, the founder, president and executive director of the Farm Ministry, said with protein being expensive it can be hard to purchase eggs on a limited budget.

“Eggs are extremely high quality protein, and they’re very affordable, they’re very available, they’re bioavailable, so they’re really an excellent nutritional source,” Turner said.

He said the Appalachia Egg Company has had a great desire to donate eggs to be distributed throughout their area. The Farm Ministry distributed recently 12,600 dozen eggs to Mercer and McDowell Counties in West Virginia, along with Bland and Tazewell counties in Virginia.

“Being a West Virginia company, [Appalachia Egg Company] had a specific desire to reach out to some of the poorest and most extreme poverty areas in West Virginia,” Turner said. “It was coincidental that we have a distribution center in the county, which is one of the counties with the highest poverty rates in the entire United States.”

He said providing these eggs will not only bring protein to people’s plates, but can help those who experience health issues as well.

“The poverty areas of Appalachia. — people suffer from health challenges, especially dental health," Turner said. “When you’re missing teeth or not able to chew correctly, it’s very difficult to be able to digest meat protein, so eggs work perfectly.”

Mandy Curry, co-founder of Appalachia Egg Company, said it’s important to push for change in the community when it comes to receiving higher quality food.

“Historically, in our area, we are overfed and undernourished, and we’re undernourished because there’s so much processed food out there,” Curry said. “What really can help to help our communities be healthier, help our children be healthier, our seniors be healthier, is to have access to good, high-quality protein, and this is it.”

Curry said their organization understands the importance of providing good protein, which is why they work hard to ensure the eggs are produced properly.

“We have a really great relationship with Rockingham Feed Mill and the Farm Ministry as well, and we put a lot of effort into what our hens are eating, and we make sure they’re getting what they need so they are producing the healthiest eggs we can provide and share with those in our community,” she said.

Turner said they plan to distribute eggs in Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties as well as Hardy County, West Virginia, early next week. This distribution will provide 2 1/2 dozen eggs to 10,160 families.

Both Curry and Turner said it’s an honor to play a role in helping serve those in need, and they hope to continue this partnership moving forward.

‘Such a blessing’

The Appalachia Egg Company donated the eggs the Farm Ministry is distributing after they were requested to be delivered to counties in Appalachia.

The first truckload was delivered on June 4 with 12,600 dozen eggs and was distributed primarily to McDowell and Mercer counties in West Virginia, along with Tazewell and Bland counties in Virginia.

Turner said McDowell County, West Virginia, has been a focus area for the Farm Ministry. There, Pastor Ed Todd is the volunteer coordinator and has seen the impact of these types of donations.

In a message from Todd that Turner shared with WHSV, Todd said, “There are children going to bed hungry in McDowell County. The eggs are such a blessing in providing high quality protein to the children and people living in extreme poverty in McDowell County.”

Turner said that in addition to feeding people, these eggs are bringing hope to people — hope that comes from knowing someone cares and is reaching out to help them.