Consumer purchases drive donations of HATCH eggs

In the first four weeks since HATCH was announced, 5,250 families in Central Indiana have received a dozen eggs. This means more than 63,000 eggs have helped people of all ages fight undernourishment through the power of egg protein. HATCH is a unique program that offers a new way consumers, food stores and farmers can work together to provide eggs to undernourished people. The pilot program continues through June 20, with HATCH providing one egg to a local food bank for each dozen Kroger-brand medium eggs purchased.
"Thanks to the incredible support from local residents, HATCH is having an immediate impact on fighting hunger and undernourishment in Indiana,” said Mitch Davis, director of Global Shared Value at Elanco Animal Health, the company that facilitates HATCH. “Being able to direct a donation of protein-rich eggs by simply purchasing eggs for their own family's use is a wonderful way people can easily make a vital difference in their communities.”
The HATCH pilot program, which involves 65 Central Indiana Kroger stores, is a community partnership involving The Kroger Co., Rose Acre Farms, Elanco, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and Midwest Food Bank. HATCHforHunger.com features a list of participating stores and more information about HATCH.
So far, 63,000 eggs--the equivalent of 5,250 dozen--have been donated through Gleaners and Midwest Food Bank to local food pantries. In addition, more than 600 people have participated in the conversation about fighting hunger at the community level by including #HATCHforHunger in their tweets and social-media posts.
“For many families who visit a food pantry, eggs are very rare to find and one of the items we have the most requests for,” said Marcus Casteel, director of the Grace Care Center. “Since one egg can provide all the iron and almost half the protein a young child needs each day, eggs are an excellent way to improve nutrition. That’s why HATCH has been such a blessing to our friends.”
Elanco, Kroger and Rose Acre Farms launched HATCH as a model to give people a way to help fight hunger in their communities. In the U.S. alone, one in five people do not have access to enough protein and other nutrients to meet their body’s needs. Elanco plans to build on this HATCH pilot program to develop similar initiatives that can bring food security to other locations in the U.S. and additional countries.