Tyson Foods, Inc., in conjunction with the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship competition and the Montana State University Collegiate CattleWomen, donated a truckload of chicken to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank.

The donation was the result of a challenge posed to this fall’s participants in the Alliance’s CAO program. CAO is a nationwide initiative aimed at helping college students and collegiate agriculture clubs utilize social media and community engagement to share agriculture’s story.

During the fall 2015 competition, participating clubs were able to pick and choose from a variety of challenges, including teaching at local schools, hosting an Agriculture Day event on their college campus, or hosting a food drive in advance of the holiday season. The Montana State University Collegiate CattleWomen took home top honors in the food drive competition by collecting more than 1,100 pounds of food to donate to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. This win earned the club a donation in their honor from CAO program sponsor Tyson Foods.

“This is a proud moment for our college,” said Charles Boyer, vice president of agriculture/dean and director of the College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station at Montana State University. “The exemplary focus and determination of our students is a stellar example of our country’s bright future. We celebrate this contribution to community good by our outstanding students.”

“Being a part of this donation is always a highlight of our year for the Alliance,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “It is both personally and professionally fulfilling to see the look of pride on the students’ faces as they witness their hard work and passion coming to fruition and allowing them to give back to their communities in such a meaningful way. We are so thankful to Tyson Foods for its continued support of our CAO program and this year’s generous donation on behalf of the Montana State University Collegiate CattleWomen.”