Nine local organizations received 275 hams to share with families in need this holiday season as part of Fresno State’s seventh annual Helping Hams campaign.

The organizations picked up the hams on Dec. 11 at the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market with assistance from Associated Students, Inc.

The campaign ran Oct. 30 through Dec. 5 and raised $8,250, exceeding its goal of $7,500 to purchase 250 hams.

The largest contribution was a $2,500 donation from RCO Ag Credit, Inc., an agriculture finance company based in Fresno. The organization has been the primary supporter of the campaign for the past six years. 

The Ag One Foundation, Administration and Auxiliary Services and Foundation Board of Governors also contributed to this year’s campaign.

“We want to thank each of our donors for their generous contributions and also the campus community for their unwavering support,” said Omar Hernandez, Associated Students, Inc. president. “We are proud to feed students and families this holiday season.”

Campus-related organizations that received hams included the Student Cupboard, Upward Bound and TRiO Student Support Services and Student Support Services Veterans Program.

Other local agencies included were the Bulldog Pantry, Saints Rest Community Economic Development Corporation, Fresno County Perinatal Wellness Center, Wesley United Methodist Church and Stone Soup.

The organizations were selected by an Associated Students, Inc. ad hoc committee based on their connections to Fresno State, client population served and overall need expressed in their applications.

The Gibson Farm Market is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and is closed on Sundays. 

For more information about the campaign, contact Luis Sepulveda at 559.278.7703 or sepulveda@mail.fresnostate.edu. For more information on the Gibson Farm Market, contact 559.278.4511.

(Story by Yesenia Candelaria, communications coordinator for Associated Students, Inc.)