Hunger continues to be an issue in the Pacific Northwest. Nearly 1.3 million people in the region don’t know where their next meal is coming from, according to the Feeding America charity. That’s 9.3% of the combined population of Oregon, Washington state and Idaho.

That’s why farmers, ranchers and processors continue to play a key role in feeding the people of the region. The Capital Press last week reported on their efforts and found that the region’s agricultural industry this year had donated $165 million in food to the region’s food banks.

And that’s a lowball estimate.

Feeding those in need resonates with farmers, ranchers and processors. After all, most of agriculture is about one thing — food.

Ask Karen Hoagland. She and her husband, Rex, work with the Giving Beef Project. They and other ranchers donate beef to area food banks in southwestern Idaho.

At Thomas Cattle Co. near Oreana, Idaho, the ranch donates a pound of ground beef for every pound it sells during certain times of the year.

In Oregon, Farmers Ending Hunger coordinates farmers, ranchers and processors to provide food to the Oregon Food Bank.

In Spokane, Wash., farmers, packers, shippers and processors donated 74 million pounds of food this year, according to Feeding the Northwest, a nonprofit that works with the region’s food banks.

Ranchers in Idaho and Washington have long contributed to Beef Counts, an effort coordinated by Agri Beef, a processor. Since its founding in 2010, Beef Counts has provided 2.23 million servings of beef to those in need.

The list goes on, from the smallest cash contribution to the largest rollover auction like that held Oct. 3 at the Toppenish Livestock Commission, where $28,000 was raised in a matter of minutes through the generosity of Washington Cattlemen’s Association members.

These are folks who care about their neighbors — and do something about it.

They know the food they produce will make a difference for a family, senior citizen or other person in need.

This brings us to the point of this editorial. If you raise food — and little or a lot — and donate a portion to a food bank or other organization that helps the needy, thank you. Every ounce is much appreciated.

And if you haven’t been donating food, please consider it. There are folks across the Northwest who cannot afford that next meal. They need your help.

Every vegetable, package of beef or other food will go to good use.

Those who already take part know the feeling that helping the needy brings. It also brings with it the knowledge that the hard work you put into raising that crop or that livestock will be appreciated in a way that can’t be beat.

“It’s heart-driven,” Karen Hoagland of the Giving Beef Project said.

She’s right.