Illinois Ag Connection - Carl Buddig Donates to Food Bank After Contest

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Carl Buddig Donates to Food Bank After Contest
Illinois Ag Connection - 06/30/2016

Carl Buddig & Company awarded Redwood Empire Food Bank and Amy Meiers, a local Santa Rosa, Calif., resident, $10,000 each as part of the company's first national "Make It Delish Recipe Contest." The contest tasked consumers with submitting a recipe using Buddig and/or Old Wisconsin products and a secret ingredient for a chance to win monthly prizes as well as the $10,000 Grand Prize. In addition to Meiers' grand-prize winnings, her primary grocer was also awarded $10,000 to donate to a charity of its choice, Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Three recipes were awarded first-, second- and third- place prizes by a panel of judges each month through December. Meiers' submission placed third in the month of December and was voted the grand-prize winner by the general public from the top nine recipes throughout the contest. More than 1,000 entries were accrued throughout the duration of contest.

Carl Buddig & Company and Old Wisconsin are owned and operated by the Buddig family, and for them, family is at the heart of everything they do. As a family-owned company for more than 73 years, they value the importance of family traditions, especially during mealtime.

"Each year we honor this commitment to feeding family traditions by participating in a variety of cause-marketing programs, monthly donations to charities and organizations, and through consumer promotions," said Tom Buddig, executive vice president of marketing for Carl Buddig & Company. "The Make It Delish Recipe Contest provides families an opportunity to be creative in the kitchen, spend quality time together and pass on their family traditions to others with their recipe submission. The grocer and food charity component is something new for us, and we feel it aligns well with our mission as a company."

The idea of family traditions is also reflected in Meiers' story -- the 31-year-old California native grew up on Buddig lunchmeat. "My mom used to buy Buddig lunchmeat when I was little," Meiers said. "This was always a special treat because we normally got cafeteria lunch at school. I still buy it for my husband -- he's a firefighter and makes his own lunches while he's on his shift. The Buddig Original packs are perfect for him!"

After hearing about the Make It Delish Recipe Contest, Meiers wanted to create something that would be fun and easy to make with her son and that other families could make with their children. Meiers' love for roasted red bell peppers on her sandwiches inspired her grand-prize-winning recipe -- Ham and Pepper Twisters (view the recipe here).

Meiers is a frequent shopper of G&G Supermarket in Santa Rosa, California, so as the primary grocer, G&G was also awarded $10,000 from Carl Buddig & Company to donate to a food charity of its choice, Redwood Empire Food Bank.

"Redwood Empire Food Bank is a staple in our community," said Carol Lowe-Drake of G&G Supermarkets. "The organization has a variety of programs that extend to not only the Santa Rosa community but the entire north coast of California -- from Sonoma County to the Oregon border. We know the donation to Redwood Empire Food Bank will continue to help feed families and provide relief for those in the area."

Since 1987, the Redwood Empire Food Bank has been dedicated to ending hunger in communities by providing accessible nutrition assistance to anyone in need.

To learn more about the Make It Delish Recipe Contest and view the other winning recipes, please visit www.buddigpromos.com.

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