INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — One in six Indiana citizens are hungry, lacking the funds needed to cover all daily necessities, including the protein needed to facilitate brain, muscle and eye function.

With that in mind, Rose Acre Farms, Elanco Animal Health and The Kroger Co. announced they will continue with their collaborative HATCH for Hunger program, which has provided eggs to more than 8,000 families in Indiana over the last 10 weeks.

Bert Payne, operations leader for HATCH at Elanco, said the project – in which an egg was donated for every carton of eggs bought in one of the 65 participating Kroger stores – could not have been done without Rose Acre Farms’ generosity.

"Hunger is a reoccurring problem; every day we start right back again, because every day people need to eat," Payne said. "Rose Acres is an Indiana-based farm that has done a great job with HATCH and has a great heart for helping the hungry."

Cindy Hubert, president and CEO of Gleaner’s Food Bank in Indianapolis, explained the importance of eggs to the impoverished families who are at her food bank every day.

"The protein that comes from an egg can provide half of the protein that is needed for a child in one day," she said. "And what we know is so important about that, is if a child doesn’t get protein, they’re not getting what they need to thrive and grow."

Undoubtedly, many children were reached through Gleaner’s and Midwest Food Bank, which were the two participating food banks in the pilot HATCH program that has been extended through the end of the year. John Elliot, public affairs manager for Kroger’s central division in Indiana and Illinois, said more information will be released on a larger-scale version of the program to continue in 2016 as details on the logistics are finalized.

"Farms start the path towards satisfying our customers," said Elliot. "HATCH, if we design it right, if we go from this test and build it as a larger model, I think there’s room not just for other egg farmers but also other retailers."

This is good news, especially for those who already struggle with buying essential foods, since egg prices are high because of the avian influenza epidemic that has reduced egg supply across the United States.

"The beauty of HATCH is that it is giving more people access to nutrient-rich eggs, even in the face of today’s higher prices due to reduced U.S. egg supply," Payne said.

Just as rain does not pause for the growing season, neither does hunger stop when good protein from eggs is in short supply, which is why all partners of HATCH are committed to forge on in the effort.

"This has been a great experience and we want to make sure we continue to get those eggs out to the pantries within our community, to make sure that all in our networks get this great, great source of protein," Hubert said. "We love HATCH and are proud to be part of this partnership."