FY22 Summer Grilling

Beef Counts

The Beef Counts program is a partnership with Washington's Beef Community, Northwest Harvest, Second Harvest and Food Lifeline that provides high-quality, nutritious beef to local food banks to help hungry, local families.

feeding hungry families since 2010

The Beef Counts program was founded by Washington's Beef Community to fill the need for high quality protein in our local food banks. 

Since 2010, $1.3 million has been donated by Washington's Beef Community and more than 3 million servings of protein rich, nutritious beef has reached Washington families who turn to Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline and Second Harvest for food assistance. 

Join Washington's Beef Community, Rosauer's & Super 1 Stores and Second Harvest this summer grilling season as we work together to provide high quality beef protein to our neighbors in need via Second Harvest Mobile Markets.

buy Beef & Fight HUnger // Donate direct >

Meet the Axtell family from just outside Spokane. The Axtells raise beef cattle and tend to pasture land all over the area. They value raising their four boys in this ranching lifestyle, where they learn from the responsibility of caring for cattle, and seeking ways to give back to their community.

A Local legacy

"We love being a part of the Spokane community, with its strong roots in volunteerism, and the statewide beef community that truly cares about feeding others. This community is so supportive by nature. It's about neighbors helping neighbors."

- Justin owens, owens farms piedmontese, in Spokane, WA

Family Connections

"Giving back is really important to me and my family. Beef Counts is a way for us to get out and give back. At our ranch, we are used to a freezer full of beef all year round, we eat beef all the time. But we know not every family has that advantage. Some may only have the budget to buy beef once a month, or maybe not at all. But with Beef Counts we know we can make a difference. It warms my heart to know a family out there gets to eat beef tonight just like my family."

- Branden Spencer, Figure 50 Ranch in Ritzville, WA

Big Numbers

"A decade and 2.5 million servings of beef distributed to hungry families is no small feat. It takes a commitment from everyone in the beef community to accomplish this. We've come together to generate over $1 million in donations but more importantly we've made beef's high quality protein available to food banks and families that can't otherwise afford it. I’m extremely proud to be a part of this community."

- Camas Uebelacker, C&G Cattle in Othello, WA

Dollar for Dollar

“Realizing that food banks were in critical need of receiving highly-quality protein over a decade ago, we at Agri Beef, along with our Washington Beef processing plant located in Toppenish, WA recognized that we were in a unique position to be part of the solution. Proposing and becoming a founding member of the innovative and industry-leading Beef Counts program, we made a long-term commitment to help provide high-quality beef protein to families in need throughout Washington. Over the last decade, our collaboration with Washington's ranching and cattle feeding families, has allowed us to provide leadership and financial resources, to a program that makes a difference. We're most proud of the fact that every dollar donated to Beef Counts goes directly to purchasing beef for food banks. And each year we support Washington's Beef Community in their donations with a $50,000 match to insure that beef will consistently be more available and accessible to Washington’s hungry families.” 

- Jay Theiler, Agri Beef Co.

From The Beginning

"As part of one of the first Beef Counts Spokes-Families back in 2012, I have grown up around this program and have loved advocating for such a good cause. It's the perfect way to connect beef producers like me and my family with people who love to eat beef. Beef Counts makes it possible for us to make an immediate impact on hunger in Washington state. And when we're able to work together with grocery stores and food banks we can pull the whole beef community together from farm to fork."

- Taryn Cox, age 17, Lazy F Livestock in Walla Walla, WA

from our family to yours

"As a mom of four young kids, I understand the daily effort it takes to put healthy meals on the table for the family while juggling work, ranching, school, and life in general. We support Beef Counts because we know the program provides other moms and dads out there protein-rich beef to build nutritious meals around. It's one of our favorite ways to give back to our community."

- Nicole Derting, Post 5 Cattle Company in Ephrata, WA

At The Dinner Table

"We pride ourselves on raising nutritious, wholesome beef for the world's dinner tables. But each day thousands of our neighbors go to bed hungry, under-fed and under-nourished. When our family's dinner table holds beef almost every night we don't forget those families that can't afford it. Beef Counts was created to give families like ours a way to share our bounty."

- Dick Coon, Bar U Ranch in Benge, WA

The greatest reward

"When we work so hard to raise delicious, nutritious beef for consumers the greatest reward is knowing people will love eating it. So we like that Beef Counts makes our beef accessible to our neighbors in need. To see their appreciation when they receive beef at a mobile food market event is not just rewarding, it is very humbling."

- Brett Tonne, Tonne Cattle Company in Ephrata, WA