NEW ALBANY – In founding Bob Evans Restaurants, Bob Evans was committed to supporting and advocating for the farming community, making that a central part of the brand’s mission. More than 70 years later, Bob Evans Restaurants continues to honor their founder’s legacy by advocating for agricultural education, helping establish the next generation of America’s farming community, and ensuring the sustainability of the country’s food supply. To emphasize that commitment, Bob Evans is continuing its longstanding support of agricultural education organizations for local children and teens by making another $15,000 donation, benefiting Ohio FFA Foundation, Ohio 4-H and the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation.
The benefiting organizations are all located in Ohio, the birthplace of the brand. These organizations include:
• Ohio FFA Foundation: the organization which supports Ohio’s 25,000 FFA members. FFA is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of middle and high school students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
• Ohio 4-H: the Ohio chapter of the nation’s largest youth development organization which grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills.
• Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation: a 501(c) (3) charitable, nonprofit organization that has helped community groups, civic leaders and consumers in rural, suburban and urban neighborhoods use agriculture to address a variety of quality-of-life issues. It funds programming in areas such as education and community development.
“Supporting the farming community has been an incredible way for us to ensure that Bob Evans legacy lives on,” said Bob Holtcamp, President and CMO for Bob Evans Restaurants. “As the home of America’s Farm Fresh, it’s critical for us to use the influence of our organization – our valued guests, associates and supplier partners – to support the next generation of farmers and the innovation needed to secure our future food supply.”
Each of the three organizations will receive $5,000 to put toward educational agricultural programming, funded in part by the event sponsors of the 51st annual Bob Evans Farm Festival held at the original Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, OH. These donations are in addition to the continuous support Bob Evans Restaurants provides to the farming community and its ongoing partnership with the National FFA Organization.
“These donations will help these future farmers and budding agricultural entrepreneurs gain access to educational experiences that will help them better understand the role they can play in creating a sustainable food system for our country,” Holtcamp continued. “We rely on the farming community to ensure we have constant access to farm fresh food for our guests. So not only will these grants support these students’ agricultural education, they will also help ensure that we are growing the next generation of farmers.”
For more information about Bob Evans’ commitment to the farming community and agricultural education, please visit bobevans.com/where-good-grows.
