Bob Bishop of Bishop Farms and his wife, Waneta, have given generous gifts of grain in the last few years. The couple participate in the Ag Cares Fund and Gifts of Grains program through the Kosciusko County Community Foundation.

WARSAW — When the agricultural community asked what projects mattered the most, they proclaimed feeding the hungry. But that’s not all. They also said supporting youth and promoting agricultural education are also ways to give back to the community.

Thus, was the start of the Age Cares Fund program.

The Ag Cares Fund is a relatively new program established in February 2014 by Kosciusko County Community Foundation. It was created in response to hearing from farmers about ways they liked to give and the types of projects, collectively, they like to support. Donors to the fund have included both farmers and non-farmers who share similar philanthropic values.

The most common types of gifts to the Ag Cares Fund have been gifts of grain. KCCF has an agreement with six area grain elevators, according to Stephanie Overbey, associate director of the Age Cares Fund of KCCF.

Deatsman Grain Farms, Leesburg, is the most recent elevator to begin accepting Gifts of Grain on behalf of KCCF. Other area elevators that also accept gifts of grain include: CereServ, Leesburg; Clunette Elevator, Clunette; Creighton Brothers, Atwood; Louis Dreyfus, Claypool; and Mentone Grain and Feed, Mentone.

Proceeds from Gifts of Grain go toward the Ag Cares Fund, unless otherwise designated by the donor.

The Ag Cares Fund is an endowment supporting local food programs, youth programs and agricultural education and activities.

KCCF also accepts gifts of livestock. A gift of grain or livestock is sometimes more tax advantageous to a farmer than a gift of cash.

Bob Bishop of Bishop Farms in Leesburg, and his wife, Waneta, have given gifts of grain for the last 15 years. Bob is also one of KCCF’s board members. “We have gifted grain for many years to the local food bank,” said Bob.

More than $100,000 has been donated, to buy food for Combined Community Services, from the sale of grain.

Bob, his wife and two other farmers started a similar program called “No Child Should Go Hungry in a Farming Community.” The Ag Cares program is modeled off that, Bob said.

Lorraine Anglin of Clunette Elevator said it has been accepting donations of grain from farmers for several years.

She said, “This is a way farmers can give to the community and with it being one of their busier times of the year, they can specify how much, and we can take it from there, making sure the donations get to where they want it to go. A lot of the farmers like to remain anonymous, so this is where we take over and it stays that way.”

This is the second year partnering with KCCF with the “Gifts of Grain” Ag Care Fund, she said.

“In having been involved with different ag activities, this is a very worthy way of educating our youth of today about agriculture and feeding our people in need,” Anglin said.

The fund is an endowment so the principal is not spent. Instead, the fund gets invested and its earnings are made available for grant making.

“This means that a gift a farmer gives today, will still be fulfilling its purpose 100 years from now,” said Overbey.

For more information about making a gift of grain or livestock, visit www.KCFoundation.org/Ag or call (574) 267-1901. KCCF does not offer tax advice, so donors should consult their tax advisors or attorneys to determine which kind of gift is best for them.

Clunette Elevator was the first elevator to accept gifts of grain on behalf of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation. Pictured is Lorraine Anglin, whose late husband, John, was co-owner of the elevator where Lorraine still works.