990336 McDonald's Scholarship Fund Aids Pork Producers

Indianapolis - In response to the plight of Indiana's pork producers, McDonald's announced a private initiative designed to assist college students from Indiana pork producing families.

Students from these families enrolled in a post-secondary education program for the 1999 - 2000 school year may apply for a grant from the McDonald's Pork Relief Scholarship Fund. Each grant will be $1,500.

In order to accumulate scholarship funds, approximately 300 participating McDonald's restaurants in Indiana are donating ten cents from the sale of each McRib sandwich sold from February 5 until March 25, 1999. “We anticipate that 75 to 100 scholarship grants will be available, based on our projected McRib sales,” said Steven Hogwood, McDonald's owner/operator from Lafayette, Indiana. “McDonald's has a history of supporting youth and education; and the current crisis among pork producers really hits home because we depend upon the agricultural community. This scholarship fund seemed to be a great way to help in both areas. We know we cannot solve the underlying issues that have driven low pork prices, but we want to do what we can.”

“College students from pork farming families have been severely affected by the low pork prices,” said Victor L. Lechtenberg, dean of Purdue University's School of Agriculture. “Students who were in good financial shape last year are now searching for scholarships just to stay in school. The same goes for young men and women who had intended to enter college this fall. McDonald's should be commended because these scholarships will make a difference.”

Indiana pork producer Jerry Mennen, President-Elect of the Indiana Pork Producers Association (IPPA), said, “We are grateful for this effort by our friends at McDonald's to invest in our kids' futures -- which have been threatened by this crisis. We welcome the opportunity to partner with McDonald's in this scholarship relief effort.”

The scholarship program is a follow-up to an announcement that was made February 3. Indiana Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan announced that McDonald's Restaurants in Indiana would bring the McRib sandwich back to the menu for a seven-week period in an effort to increase the consumption of Indiana pork. Kernan, who is Indiana's Commissioner of Agriculture, had been seeking initiatives to assist Indiana pork producers. Kernan said, “I am pleased that McDonald's has developed a further initiative in the form of this scholarship fund, again bringing together the efforts of 300 restaurants all over the state.”

Record high levels of pork and lack of meat processing facilities in the U.S. have caused agriculture one of its worst economic crises of this century according to Mennen. Producers have been losing as much as 20 cents a pound for each hog sold at market since the fall of '98. In December, prices dropped as low as ten cents a pound. While prices have since rebounded, they are still below break-even and pork producers have suffered very significant losses, Mennen said.

IPPA will administer the McDonald's Pork Relief Scholarship Fund. Applications may be requested by contacting The Indiana Pork Producers Association at 317/872-7500. Applicants must be from an Indiana pork producing family and enrolled in a post-secondary education program for the 1999-2000 school year. Applications must be returned with a school transcript or letter of acceptance for the coming school year and must be postmarked no later than May 1, 1999.

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