Sometimes it’s easy to a look at a nation-wide problem like food insecurity and think, what can I really do? Five years ago, Bruce Postovit, district sales manager for Monsanto’s DEKALB® seed brand, called up his friend and customer Mike Kosman and told him about his idea for a large-scale sweet corn donation project.

“I told him that if he would grow the crop, I would organize everything, including inputs, volunteers, and the Food Bank of the Rockies,” said Postovit. “He didn’t hesitate, and from that the project started!”

The sweet corn was grown on the Kosman family farm near Fort Morgan, Colorado and donated to Food Bank of the Rockies, which distributes it to food banks across the state. This year, more than 140 volunteers picked around 85,000 ears of sweet corn.

Volunteers in Colorado pick sweet corn.
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Volunteers in Colorado pick sweet corn.

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With the success of helping Coloradoans in need, Bruce’s son, Adam Postovit, brought the idea of a sweet corn pick to the Monsanto Water Utilization Learning Center team in Gothenburg, Nebraska when he worked at the site earlier this year.

“My dad is extremely passionate about this project,” said Adam Postovit. “His passion and generosity for others sets an example for everyone to follow, and I hope I can set as good as an example as he can.”

Employees of the Water Utilization Learning Center planted five acres of sweet corn this spring, in hopes that they would get volunteers to help hand harvest it and donate it to people in need. A few days after Colorado’s fifth sweet corn picking extravaganza, 140 members of the Gothenburg community joined together, and in less than three hours the crew picked approximately 38,400 pounds of sweet corn – enough to fill a rented semi-trailer. By early afternoon the sweet corn was headed to the Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha.

Volunteers in Nebraska picking corn.
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Volunteers in Nebraska picking corn.

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“It usually costs us $6,000-$7,000 to get a truckload to our building, so what you folks did for us, thank you is just not enough,” said Mike Gudenrath, Foodbank for the Heartland food sourcing manager, addressing the crowd. “By the [Labor Day] holiday weekend, I can almost promise that every ear of corn will be on someone’s plates.”

Gudenrath and co-worker Tim Smiley, transportation and warehouse manager, said they were astonished by the turnout.

“I had no clue what to expect, it was more than what I thought it would be,” said Gudenrath. “On Saturday morning to come out and pick corn and help other people, we can’t do our job without people like this.”

They took the 24 pallets of corn back to the food bank where it was redistributed throughout the Omaha area and greater Nebraska. The organization serves 93 counties in the two-state region, making deliveries from Douglas and Scotts Bluff to Red Willow and Cherry.

“We’re out here trying to feed everybody. We are a for-profit company, but we want sustainable food production. This is just another effort in order to try to feed the world,” said Brian Olson, manager of the Gothenburg learning center. “We were doing what we do best, we were growing corn.”

Several employees helped with the project, doing everything from caring for the corn to organizing volunteers and the lunch afterwards.

“Everybody stepped up to the plate and did a great job getting things done. It was definitely a team effort,” said Olson. “It was a great opportunity to take advantage of our blessings and help other people out. We had a great turnout from the local FFA to members of the community who wanted to help. All I can say is thank you. Thank you to everyone who donated their time for this great cause.”

In Nebraska, an estimated 20 percent children are “food insecure,” or unsure of where they’re next meal will come from. Gudenrath says the fresh sweet corn helps fill a need in their quest to provide healthy options.

“Making connections like this is huge,” he said. “We’re just very pleased with the day, very pleased.”

He hopes the partnership will continue on for years.

The Monsanto Fund sponsors American’s Farmers Grow Communities, which gives farmers a chance to win a $2,500 donation to direct toward their favorite community nonprofit organization such as a local food bank. One winner is randomly selected in each of the 1,331 eligible counties across 41 states.