Local nonprofit buys livestock from ag students to help feed the food insecure

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Hundreds of animals that have trotted across the Santa Maria Fairpark’s auction grounds over the past three years were raised by young participants of a local charity initiative.

Elementary, middle, and high school students who take part in the annual Santa Barbara County Fair’s livestock exhibitions for 4-H, FFA, and Grange programs are eligible for support from the 37th District Buyers Coalition, the organization’s president, Renli Pope, told the Sun.

“For some of these kids, it’s their first year participating in an ag project,” Pope said. “It’s hard raising an animal for slaughter. But it’s real life, and this teaches them discipline.”

The more funds the small nonprofit raises each year, the more animals it’s able to purchase during the Santa Barbara County Fair—and the more processed meat it can donate to Santa Maria’s Good Samaritan Shelter, Lompoc’s Micah Mission, and other local organizations that provide meals for the food insecure.

The group also encourages others to attend the youth auction and place bids to help ag students get the best price for their animals, Pope explained.

“The beauty of what we’re doing is if somebody comes and is bidding on their animal, we step back and we let that bidder take front and center,” Pope said. 

Part of the application process students must complete for benefits from the 37th District Buyers Coalition was designed to increase in-person community participation at the auction. The program requires participants to send at least five letters out to local individuals and businesses, inviting them to bid at the fair.

“If nobody’s bidding on their animals and we have the funds, we will go ahead and step in and bid on the animal, purchase it, and then we process the animal and donate the meat to local charities,” Pope said. “We really want these kids to succeed, with all the hard work they have to put in. … We all want the best for our kids. 

“It’s very humbling as a parent to see people come up to support your kids,” added Pope, whose two sons, ages 10 and 17, are fifth generation exhibitors at the fair.

Outside of working full-time as a dental hygienist, Pope manages the 37th District Buyers Coalition with two colleagues. All three are volunteers.

“We all have full-time jobs that we work at elsewhere. But all of us grew up in ag,” said Pope, who was born and raised in Nipomo. “All [three] of us were involved in 4-H and FFA, and it’s very important for us to see these programs continue.”

Since the coalition’s start in 2022, the nonprofit has successfully bid on and purchased nearly 200 steers, pigs, and lambs from ag students during the Santa Barbara County Fair’s yearly auctions. With those animals, the group was able to donate about 57,000 pounds of meat to the meal providers it supports.

In order to raise the funds it needs for animal purchases, the coalition accepts donations and constantly seeks sponsorship opportunities with businesses. This year, Pope said that she and her colleagues were thrilled to secure a partnership with the Harris Ranch Beef Company. 

Thanks to Harris Ranch’s support, all meat processing for steers purchased by the coalition at this year’s county fair—July 9 through 13—will be free of charge for the coalition. The youth livestock auction will be held on Saturday, July 12, starting at 8 a.m.

“We’ll be there all day,” Pope said with a laugh. “It’s like 15 hours long.”

For anyone who can’t attend the auction in person but would still like to support the coalition’s efforts, there’s a donate button on its website (37thbuyerscoalition.com) with mail-in info and a link to the group’s Venmo. Every dollar counts, Pope said. Formal donations to the nonprofit are tax-deductible as well.

“We’ve had donations ranging from $25 to $10,000,” Pope said. “We take all of it with a grateful heart because times are tough.”

Highlight

• The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department invites youth ages 8 to 17 to participate in a friendly and competitive Youth Cornhole Tournament on Sunday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Hagerman Sports Complex, located at 3300 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria. Registration ranges between $15 and $20, and the top-performing teams will receive prizes, according to the department.

Reach Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Jul 3-10, 2025.