Hungry Kids Need Arkansas Hunters Help

Ronnie Ritter annually averages two international mission trips. Africa, Belize, Haiti, Nicaragua and Ecuador (16 times) are some of his nearly 40 destinations over the past two decades. Ritter took a 10-day trip in June to Brazil.

            At home in Hot Springs, the 68-year-old director of Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry stays on mission. The nonprofit organization donated 125,000 packages of Wild Game Snack Sticks last year to help feed hungry school children in 50 of the state’s 75 counties. The majority were delivered by Ritter in his 2008 Dodge Ram truck.

There are two, tasty one-ounce sticks in a package – a healthy protein snack for an elementary-aged child. The sticks are made from wild game, mostly deer donated by the state’s hunters, and mixed with pork.

The need is great. Mission-minded Ritter says one in five Arkansas children experience food insecurity. He hears heartbreaking stories of kids hiding their snack sticks because bullies, other siblings, or even their parents, will take the food for themselves.

“One little boy says he holds the package between his mattresses when he opens it so others in the house can’t hear it being opened,” Ritter says. “He can’t let anyone know or it will be taken (and consumed by bigger hungry people in the house).”

Bob Barringer started Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry in 1999, turning the state’s abundant white-tailed deer population into a renewable food source for the hungry. It was all venison burger back then, distributed at no charge through churches and shelters.

Ritter, riding a 31-year career at International Paper Company, agreed to succeed Barringer in 2009. He and “about 8 volunteers” have grown Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry over the past 15 years with relentless promotion, media appearances, and most notably, the snack sticks program for schools.

“I don’t believe retirement is Biblical,” Ritter says. “I may slow down one day, but I don’t plan to ever fully retire.”

            Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation announced in 2023 a $25,000 donation to the meat stick program and that it would match the designated donations of county Farm Bureaus, individuals, and other entities up to $25,000. Farm Bureau met its goal with the initial donation and pledged matching funds totaling $75,000. The partnership was renewed for 2024.

Hunters are encouraged to donate field dressed wild game, ice chest quartered deer or just “a couple of packs or pounds” of their harvest. Close to 60 participating processors across Arkansas are listed at arkansashunters.org. For more information contact Ronnie Ritter at 501-282-0006.

“We do between 50,000 and 70,000 pounds of burger per year, too” Ritter says. “We give that to local food pantries. With the prices of meat going up at grocery stores, we always get more requests than we can fill.”    

Farm Bureau Insurance Kickball Team Wraps Up Season in the Playoffs

The Farm Bureau Insurance kickball team, also known as F.B.I., recently wrapped up their second season of play in the Little Rock Kickball Association. The team is made up of staff from many of our departments, including: underwriting, claims, finance, and information systems.  Finishing the season ranked 4th in their league and with a record of 6-4, F.B.I. was proud to represent Farm Bureau Insurance and had a fantastic time bonding and working as a team.

The Farm Bureau Kickball team is just one of many ways the company strives to be an active, positive force in the community–and show that Farm Bureau Insurance is a local company with local employees.

We are looking forward to the next season of Kickball. GO F.B.I.!!

Policyholders Receive $30 Million One-time Credit, Community Food Banks Receive $2.3 Million

The Farm Bureau Insurance companies are offering a variety of financial assistance measures in response to unexpected hardships for their customers and the communities they serve due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak — including a one-time estimated premium credit of $30 million to policyholders, and donation of $2.3 million to local food banks across its six-state footprint.

Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

“Farm Bureau Insurance regularly responds to the needs of our customers when storm events occur, and we think it is appropriate that Farm Bureau help all Arkansas communities during these tough economic times,” said David Moore, senior vice president and general manager of Farm Bureau’s insurance companies in Arkansas. “Insurance is a safety net designed to provide people comfort and peace of mind in the face of adversity — and now more than ever, people need to feel that peace. These are some of the ways the Farm Bureau Insurance companies can give back to the communities we serve, and we are happy to fulfill that obligation of service.”

The Farm Bureau Insurance companies are distributing a one-time credit to all personal auto policyholders. This special credit is based on 15 percent of two months auto premium paid for each vehicle covered—an estimated value of about $30 million. No action needs to be taken by the customer to receive this special assistance. The Farm Bureau Insurance companies will simply credit their customers’ next invoice after the program begins.

Farm Bureau’s founding mission is to feed and support the families that put food on our tables. In an effort to hold true to its core values by providing relief to their communities in a time of need, the Farm Bureau Insurance companies have jointly decided to donate $2.3 million to local food banks across its six-state footprint.

About Arkansas Farm Bureau Insurance Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc. and Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company are two of the largest writers of property and casualty insurance in the state of Arkansas. We have insurance agents and adjusters in every county of the state to help meet the needs of our policyholders. This strong local presence throughout Arkansas combined with excellent capitalization and solid operating results have earned an Excellent rating with A.M. Best.

Farm Bureau Insurance Announces $500,000 Donation to Six Arkansas Foodbanks

The Farm Bureau Insurance companies announced Thursday a $500,000 gift to the six foodbanks that cover the state of Arkansas, anchored by the Arkansas Foodbank, which represents 33 counties in Central Arkansas.

“Farm Bureau Insurance regularly responds to the needs of our customers when storm events occur, and we think it is appropriate that Farm Bureau help all Arkansas communities during these tough economic times,” said David Moore, senior vice president and general manager of Farm Bureau’s insurance companies in Arkansas. 

“Farm Bureau has long been supporters of the important work of the Arkansas Foodbank, and we are appreciative of the amazing benefits the foodbanks in Arkansas provide to our citizens. Foodbanks are playing an especially important role in feeding families during this unprecedented time and we are humbled and honored to provide this gift for your use.” 

“We offer our thanks and support to the farmers and ranchers of Arkansas who provide food and fiber for so many. Hopefully, the donation today can help get that food they produce to the homes and tables where it is needed.” 

The $500,000 gift will be distributed amongst the six foodbanks in Arkansas, based on the number of counties each serve.  

“Farm Bureau’s founding mission is to support the families that put food on our tables,” said Rich Hillman, a rice farmer from Carlisle who serves as president of Arkansas Farm Bureau. “Providing relief to our communities in a time of need is a core value of the Farm Bureau. Offering a helping hand to our friends at the Arkansas Foodbank and their partners who provide similar services throughout Arkansas is critical at this time.” 

The donation is part of Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance’s commitment of $2.3 million to food banks across its six-state footprint, including Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina 

About Arkansas Farm Bureau Insurance
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc. and Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company are two of the largest writers of property and casualty insurance in the state of Arkansas. We have insurance agents and adjusters in every county of the state to help meet the needs of our policyholders. This strong local presence throughout Arkansas combined with our excellent capitalization and solid operating results have earned us an Excellent rating with A.M. Best.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital 2019 Angel One 5K/10K Benefit Race

Farm Bureau Insurance was the honorary sponsor for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Angel One 5K and 10K races, benefiting the Angel One program. The Angel One program provides medical transport to neonatal, pediatric, high-risk obstetric and burn patients from across the state of Arkansas as well as surrounding border states.

Team Farm Bureau had 57 employees from all over the state participate in the race, where we provided a tent with snacks for participants. Team Farm Bureau was proud to be involved with such a wonderful cause and get some exercise in at the same time!

Team Farm Bureau Donates to the Arkansas Foodbank

Recently, Team Farm Bureau came together for a community outreach project aimed at helping the Arkansas Foodbank with a need for canned goods in the aftermath of recent flooding that has impacted much of the state.

The Team Farm Bureau Community Outreach program donated 1,176 canned food items to the Arkansas Foodbank. The food donated came from a combination of employee donated items and a company match on those donations. Always a champion of the company’s community outreach efforts, VP of Human Resources Tammy Crumley had this to say, “The Foodbank requested help, so Team Farm Bureau jumped right in and made it happen!”

Farm Bureau employees helping to load canned good donations.

The Arkansas Foodbank started in 1984 as an organization serving a number of south Arkansas counties as a source of food for local agencies who sought to reduce hunger in their communities. Since then the Foodbank has grown to serve 450+ partner agencies and more than 280,000 people. Farm Bureau Insurance in Arkansas and its employees are proud to be able to help those individuals in our state who benefit from the essential work of the Arkansas Foodbank.