Arizona Beef Community Helps Food Banks Put Beef on Tables

LAUREN MAEHLING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | January 3, 2022

Arizona Beef Council presentation to St. Mary's Food Bank. Featured L-R are ABC Director of Social Marketing and Consumer Outreach Tiffany Selchow, ABC Executive Director Lauren Maehling with Audrey and Matthew Maehling, St. Mary's Food Bank's Kayla Lawson, and ABC Chairman Tim Cooley. 


Arizona food banks will be able to provide more beef to families in need thanks to the “Beef Up Arizona” t-shirt campaign coordinated by the Arizona Beef Council. During the two-week promotion, over 130 shirts, printed with the campaign slogan and Arizona-specific design, were purchased, raising $2,000 for St. Mary’s Food Bank to be earmarked for the purchase of beef, providing 14,000 beef meals.


The campaign highlighted the importance of beef in a healthy diet while supporting efforts to address food insecurity in the state. Providing more than 10 essential nutrients including protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins, beef can be an important part of a healthful and nourishing diet.  A nutrient-dense food, beef packs a lot of nutrition in each bite. For example, almost half of one’s daily protein requirements can be fulfilled in one 3 ounce serving of beef.     

Distributing nearly 300,000 meals a day, St. Mary’s Food Bank distributes food to over 900 partner agencies to serve Arizonans in need. 2 million Arizonans are faced with food insecurity every year, and 1 in 4 children grow up food insecure (source: Feeding America). St. Mary’s has been distributing food at record levels since 2020 – more than 10 million pounds of food per month to meet the increased need in the community.    

Along with the proceeds from the t-shirt sales, proceeds from a ranching sign promotion were included. As a result, thousands of beef meals will be served to families in need across the state.      

“It’s been great to see the outpouring of support from Arizona’s beef community and agriculture supporters during this campaign,” said Tim Cooley, chairman the Arizona Beef Council. “Ranchers and farmers are proud to raise nutritious food and they are generous when it comes to helping their neighbors. What a great way to show pride in our state’s beef industry while helping to put food on the tables of those in need.”    

The eye-catching design and t-shirts were in collaboration with Arizona’s popular clothing apparel company State Forty Eight. The “Beef Up Arizona” design featured State Forty Eight’s signature Arizona outline while incorporating grilling and beef imagery. State Forty Eight gives back to their community by helping local businesses and non-profits show their local pride.  

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About the Arizona Beef Council   

The Arizona Beef Council is a non-profit organization served by a nine-member board of directors representing cattle growers, cattle feeders, and dairy farmers, and are appointed by the Governor of Arizona. These volunteers oversee Arizona’s beef checkoff and checkoff-funded programs.

About the Beef Checkoff Program   

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA Approval.