Statewide Iowa — Many of us enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal Thursday prepared at home — while some have purchased a prepared meal and had it delivered.
The Iowa Farm Bureau’s director of agriculture analytics and research, Sam Funk, says it is important as we move past the holiday to continue supporting local restaurants and other businesses.
(as he says) “I think there is a lot of that foodservice sector right now who are depending on people being able to use carry out and bringing those cash flows into your local community,” he says.
Funk says it helps those businesses — and it also helps those ag producers who supply food to them.
(as he says)”We depend on all segments of our food service industry in order to make for a strong and thriving community. And frankly, to strengthen the opportunities that we have to be able to market products all throughout that supply chain,” according to Funk.
Funk says the US has one of the lowest costs of food in the world — but there are still people struggling — and that is important to remember.
(as he says)”I’m hopeful that we will all remember those that might not be as fortunate as even we are. And at the same time, if we have a warm place to be able to lay our heads at night and a roof over our families, hopefully, we will be able to think about those who are having a tougher time right now,” Funk says.
He says the pandemic has forced us to become isolated from others and limited the opportunities to go out and volunteer. But he says that doesn’t mean we still can’t help out by donating to food banks and to organizations that help others.
(as he says)”There’s still opportunities that we have to be able to give. And if there is an opportunity that we have to be able to volunteer again — I think that’s an important aspect to carry forward,” Funk says.
Funk says he is confident Iowans will continue meeting the challenges we are facing and will continue helping others as well.
