The Second Harvest Food Bank distributes just about every item of food to make sure families have balanced meals.

Thanks to a state-wide program through the Ohio Association of Food Banks, they have been partnering with a local farm that is providing them with locally-grown protein.

For more than a year, the Schaefer Family Farms near Salem has been preparing their meat with one goal in mind: fighting hunger the area.

Members of the farm donate their time to deliver and supply the food bank with their ground beef. It is an effort that helps feed thousands of people in the Mahoning Valley.

After getting their cattle ready, the meat is processed and packaged at Rob's Horst Packing in Columbiana and delivered to Second Harvest Food Bank. 

Every month the farm supplies the food bank with hundreds of pounds of ground beef for families who might not otherwise have access to fresh protein. 

"One cow produces about four hundred pounds of burger, so we supply about 800 pounds per month," Evan Schaefer of Schaefer Family Farms told 21 News.

Protein is one of the most requested items at foodbanks. Schaefer said the partnership is rewarding for everyone involved.

"Its cool to see something that you've produced, something you've consumed, go to a good cause," Schaefer said.