IDOA, ACES, and Local Food Banks Unite to Deliver 1,000+ Pounds of Protein During Hunger Action Month

This year, Champaign County 4-H’er Austin Ater celebrated his 14th birthday in an extraordinary way — by giving back. The 2025 Illinois State Fair junior grand champion poultry exhibitor donated his record-setting winning pen of chickens to help fight hunger in the community.

Now in its second year, this Sale of Champions donation program reflects a growing partnership between the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign whereby meat from champion animals is processed by students and staff in the Meat Science Laboratory and donated to food banks across Illinois.