'Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry' reports successful year
Farmers and hunters in a 12-county area in central and northeast Kansas contributed 180 harvested deer during the past hunting season to a non-profit program called "Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry" (FHFH). At least 64 deer were bagged in Marion County.
Deer carcasses were processed by area butchering shops. Jeff Cady, Marion, one of three people who organized the Kansas chapter, said 32,000 two-pound packages of venison were prepared.
The venison is distributed to at least 17 organizations which provide emergency food aid.
Peabody Sausage House and Hillsboro Locker Plant of Marion County and Burdick Meat Market in Morris County processed deer for the program. Volunteers pick up and deliver the meat to distributing organizations as needed. The venison is available through Marion County Food Bank in Marion and the Ministerial Alliance in Hillsboro.
Cady said the first year of the program was very successful considering the fact that, for many other chapters around the country, receiving donations of 10-12 deer is considered average.
FHFH was begun in Maryland in 1997 and now is in at least 20 states.
Cady said he read about the organization in a magazine article and enlisted Susan Cooper's help in making contacts to establish a Kansas chapter.
He was joined by Bruce Wells, Strong City, and Gary Satter, Valley Falls, who are members of the Flint Hills Resource Conservation and Development Council and helped to obtain a non-profit status for the organization. Later, Tony Derossett, Kansas City, joined them.
The necessary paperwork was completed with the help of Kansas Wildlife and Parks, and special bags were ordered in which to package the vennison.
Cady said the project was a leap of faith: "It was a two-edged sword, so to speak. On the one hand, it would provide food for the hungry, but on the other hand, money would be needed to pay for processing, which this year cost $70 per carcass."
Funds were solicited through word-of-mouth, including presentations to various civic organizations. FHFH manned a food booth at Art in the Park. But it wasn't until a Topeka businessman anonymously donated $10,000 that Cady and his cohorts could breathe easily.
"We think it was spiritual intervention," Cady said.
Processing bills were paid, so plans could go forward for another season.
Cady said FHFH is looking for more organizations through which to distribute the meat. They also hope to find organizations and/or corporations who will underwrite processing costs. In addition, federal grants are being pursued.
Derossett serves voluntarily as statewide coordinator. Efforts are being made to organize more chapters, to include southeast Kansas and other areas of the state where there are heavy deer populations.
"It's a program in which everybody wins," Cady said. "More deer are removed to help reduce car accidents and, more importantly, it feeds kids."
Cady noted that low-fat, high-protein venison is one of the most nutritious meats that exists.
To learn more about the organization, log on to www.fhfh.org.
