PATASKALA, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine welcomed country music superstar Luke Bryan to Ohio on Sept. 15, to support families and children who face hunger throughout the state.
First Lady DeWine hosted the lunch and spoke with Bryan about his ongoing Farm Tour, which celebrates America’s farmers and supports families facing food insecurity across the country. This year marks Bryan’s 14th Farm Tour — including a stop in Ohio — and features the #HeresToTheFarmer campaign, which has already donated 6 million meals to Feeding America with partner Bayer.
Since 2008, when the Farm Tour began, Bryan has also granted 78 scholarships to students from farming families near tour stops to their local college or university.
At Friday’s luncheon, Gov. DeWine shared remarks and noted that First Lady DeWine is a strong supporter of organizations across the state that distribute food to families and children facing hunger. First Lady DeWine has visited many foodbanks, shared lunch with children at Ohio libraries hosting summer food programs, invited schoolkids to pick vegetables and cook with her at the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden, and helped kids understand where their food comes from by grinding wheat, making dough and pizza at the Ohio State Fair.
Also at the luncheon, First Lady DeWine presented Bryan with an Ohio fishing license from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. As an avid fisherman, Bryan can use this fishing license on any lake in Ohio.
In 2022, the First Lady’s Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and financial support for philanthropic endeavors important to the governor’s wife, hosted the inaugural First Lady’s Luncheon, which supported Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio — a book gifting program available to all Ohio children between birth and age five. The 2023 event raised funds for organizations that provide food to Ohio families.
