PA Farmers Encourage Healthy Eating on Low Budget

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) members are celebrating "Food-Check-Out Week" by vocalizing across the Commonwealth that raising healthy and wholesome foods is their top priority. The Bureau's spokesperson, Mark O'Neill, says that PFB's goals are to create a bond with consumers and helping them to eat healthy while on an affordable budget.

"The family may not be making as much money as they had or their bills are higher and they have to really look around for what they buy in the store. We want to make sure that they aren't just buying a bunch of junk food that, they're buying good nutritious food, and we're letting them know that they can do that on a healthy budget."

O'Neill says that along with bonding with consumers, the PFB wants to give back to the community, so they have been collecting items such as food, money, and gift cards for the Ronald McDonald Houses in Pittsburgh, Danville, Hershey, Philadelphia, and Scranton. O'Neill says the Ronald McDonald House is a perfect collaborator in giving back to people.

"They feel that they can do something to help families and kids who are ill and need help in these facilities. That's part two of the whole thing. One is connecting with consumers, the other is giving back to the community and we believe that the Ronald McDonald Houses do such a great job."

Over the past twelve years, the PFB has collected over $656,000 in donations for the Ronald McDonald Houses.