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Ham and eggs go together like bread and butter and cookies and milk. But nothing goes together better than peanut butter and jelly.

Peanut butter and jelly provide amazing nutritional benefits. A PB&J sandwich has 15 grams of protein per serving, 13 grams of plant-based unsaturated fat and 5 grams of fiber. It’s filling and helps build muscle.

So, with that in mind, the Wiregrass 4-H clubs collected peanut butter and jelly for local food banks.

The Pike County Extension 4-H Clubs participated and collected 216 jars of jelly that equaled 285 pounds and 268 jars of peanut butter equaling 345 pounds. Together the peanut butter and jelly equaled 494 jars and 630 pounds.

“Donations were made by our 4-H members at Pike Liberal Arts School, Covenant Christian School and the Community and Homeschool Clubs,” said Selena Dodson, Pike County 4-H Foundation Agent.

“Donations were also made by members of the Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi and Phi Mu sororities at Troy University, Golden Boy Foods and the community. The jars were donated to the Bush Memorial Food Drive and the Salem Baptist Association for distribution.”

Several generations of Americans have grown up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is probably the first “meal” youngsters can make on their own, Dodson said.

A PB&J sandwich can be enjoyed any time of the day “or night.”

With a side of fruit, the sandwich is a solid breakfast and works perfectly for dinner when in a rush or as an after-workout snack.

A PBJ sandwich may be enjoyed on a picnic, packed in a carry-on for a long plane ride, between tournament baseball or softball games, around the pool or on the beach.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich takes no longer to spread than it does to heat up a frozen dinner. And PB&J costs about 50 cents. “That’s a fast food, take-out or dine-in, meal deal.”