Since the HATCH program was announced four weeks ago consumers, food stores, and farmers have been working together to help 5,250 families fight undernourishment using the power of egg protein.  In the past month 63,000 eggs have been have been provided to a local food bank– one for each dozen of Kroger-brand medium eggs purchased.

The director of Global Shared Value at Elanco Animal Health, Mitch Davis, says HATCH is having an immediate impact on hunger and undernourishment in Indiana.

“Being able to direct a donation of protein-rich eggs by simply purchasing eggs for their own families’ use is a wonderful way people can easily make a vital difference in their communities,” Davis says.

“For many families who visit a food pantry, eggs are very rare to find and one of the items we have the most requests for,” said Marcus Casteel, director of the Grace Care Center. “Since one egg can provide all the iron and almost half the protein a young child needs each day, eggs are an excellent way to improve nutrition.”

Elanco, Kroger and Rose Acre Farms launched HATCH as a model to give people a way to help fight hunger in their communities. In the United States alone, one in five people do not have access to enough protein and other nutrients to meet their body’s needs. That’s why HATCH was formed to make it easy for individuals to make a difference through something they already do routinely, like purchasing eggs at the grocery store. Elanco plans to build on this HATCH pilot program to develop similar initiatives that can bring food security to other locations in the United States and additional countries.

In addition to the eggs that have been donated, another 600 people have moved the conversation forward by using #HATCHforHunger in their social media posts.