Local Beef & Dairy Community Raise Over $160,000 for SP4K Beef Stik Program

Amarillo, Texas – The Amarillo area beef and dairy communities presented a check for $163,000 to the Snack Pak 4 Kids (SP4K) Beef Stik Program. The money will provide 218,000 beef sticks to hungry students through the Snack Pak weekend hunger program. The check was presented at the first Beef 4 Kids Classic golf tournament.

“When agriculture sees a need, they go and find a way to fill it,” said Dyron Howell, founder of SP4K. “There is so much negative talk about agriculture, especially about the beef and dairy industries, but what isn’t talked about enough is the commitment these industries have to serving their communities.

“Because the beef and dairy communities saw a problem and decided to address it, at-risk kids in the Texas Panhandle will now have access to 68 grams of beef and dairy protein each weekend. This is protein these children would not have access to otherwise,” Howell said.

The SP4K Beef Stik Program launched in October 2017. The program was designed to provide more protein for hungry children in the Panhandle. The program allows consumers to purchase Snack Pak Beef Stiks online or in convenience stores, and every stick purchased provides an additional stick for a child in need. But the program does not stop there.

Howell explains that the money raised through the B4K Golf Classic will provide an additional 218,000 beef sticks (1.9 million grams of protein). That is 5,500 kids who will receive an extra beef stick in their weekend bag at no additional cost to their local program or donors. Combined with the buy one, give one program, all 10,000 students served through Snack Pak will receive an additional stick.

“This was our goal and vision when we started this project four years ago, but now this is a reality,” Howell said. “When we first started, kids would get about 10-12 grams of protein in their bags each weekend, which is woefully inadequate. Today kids are getting 68 grams of protein in their bags. This is protein they desperately need in order to be successful both at home and school.”

Beef provides ten essential nutrients and vitamins, including protein, zinc and iron – three key nutrients that are essential for proper growth and development of children. The SP4K Beef Stik is made of 100 percent chuck roast and brisket, making it the most premium beef stick on the market.

And those are nutrients that hungry kids need the most, said Shane Redline, CEO of Jax Transport, a local cargo and freight trucking company that is one of the B4K golf tournament sponsors. For Redline, the need for kids to have access to consistent, high-quality food over the weekend hits all too close to home.

“I was this kid. Growing up, I never knew where my next meal would come from,” Redline said. “Most of us don’t understand what it truly feels like to be hungry.”

“If I would have had food over the weekend that helped me stay energized and focused, my childhood would’ve been much different. I’m fortunate now to be able to make a difference for these kids today, so they might rest a little easier knowing someone cares enough about them to ensure they have food over the weekend.”