spectr17
09-23-2001, 11:43 AM
Kansas hunters have chance to feed hungry.
In its first year in the state, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry shows great potential.
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By Michael Pearce, The Wichita Eagle
Jeff Cady of Marion is working to fill the freezers of Kansans who won't have enough food this winter.
Cady is the Kansas director for Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a Maryland-based organization designed to funnel excess venison to needy families.
Sportsman Rick Wilson started FHFH in 1997. The program is also designed to help sportsmen rid landowners of problem whitetails.
The program is in use in 28 states. In four years, the FHFH has helped turn 750 tons of donated venison into 6 million meals.
Though in its first year, Cady said the Kansas program shows great potential.
"This year we thought we'd maybe start with 10 to 20 deer," Cady said. "We'd get them processed and passed out through food banks. We'd then grow from there."
But Cady found the growth was already there. Some processors he contacted said they could easily supply him with 200 deer.
Cady's original plan was to just include Marion and Chase counties his first year.
Sportsmen across the state have seen FHFH ads on television and have called or e-mailed Cady, wanting to donate deer.
Such numbers and interest are more than a little intimidating to Cady, who says there's one small catch: "We have to figure out how to pay for it."
In most of the 28 states, FHFH programs allow sportsmen to drop donated deer off at certified meat processors at no charge.
The program pays the processing fees, which aren't cheap in Kansas.
"The average cost back in Maryland is about $30 per deer, but it's about $70 out here in Kansas," Cady said. "You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that $70 times 200 is a whole lot of money."
Cady said programs in other states pay for the processing from private and corporate donations, and fund-raising projects such as raffles and auctions.
In many states, local sportsmen's groups donate large amounts of the needed money to cover the processing within their area.
In-state corporations have also either unwritten the processing costs or instituted matching-funds programs with other companies or private donations.
After processing, Cady said the meat could easily be taken to local food banks or other charities for distribution.
Such outlets, he said, are no more of a problem than coming up with enough venison.
"What we're needing is someone in an area that will pick up the meat at the processor and get it to the food banks for distribution," Cady said.
"But it needs to be someone who will really champion the program, lining up the meat processors. We need some people who will take a little extra time out of their schedules."
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks sponsored a similar program for about five years in the Wichita area.
After providing several thousand meals for homeless and low-income Wichitans, the program was dropped because of low participation from sportsmen and processors.
For information on Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry nationally, log on to http://www.fhfh.org. For specifics on the Kansas program, call Cady at (620) 382-3282.
In its first year in the state, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry shows great potential.
###
By Michael Pearce, The Wichita Eagle
Jeff Cady of Marion is working to fill the freezers of Kansans who won't have enough food this winter.
Cady is the Kansas director for Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a Maryland-based organization designed to funnel excess venison to needy families.
Sportsman Rick Wilson started FHFH in 1997. The program is also designed to help sportsmen rid landowners of problem whitetails.
The program is in use in 28 states. In four years, the FHFH has helped turn 750 tons of donated venison into 6 million meals.
Though in its first year, Cady said the Kansas program shows great potential.
"This year we thought we'd maybe start with 10 to 20 deer," Cady said. "We'd get them processed and passed out through food banks. We'd then grow from there."
But Cady found the growth was already there. Some processors he contacted said they could easily supply him with 200 deer.
Cady's original plan was to just include Marion and Chase counties his first year.
Sportsmen across the state have seen FHFH ads on television and have called or e-mailed Cady, wanting to donate deer.
Such numbers and interest are more than a little intimidating to Cady, who says there's one small catch: "We have to figure out how to pay for it."
In most of the 28 states, FHFH programs allow sportsmen to drop donated deer off at certified meat processors at no charge.
The program pays the processing fees, which aren't cheap in Kansas.
"The average cost back in Maryland is about $30 per deer, but it's about $70 out here in Kansas," Cady said. "You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that $70 times 200 is a whole lot of money."
Cady said programs in other states pay for the processing from private and corporate donations, and fund-raising projects such as raffles and auctions.
In many states, local sportsmen's groups donate large amounts of the needed money to cover the processing within their area.
In-state corporations have also either unwritten the processing costs or instituted matching-funds programs with other companies or private donations.
After processing, Cady said the meat could easily be taken to local food banks or other charities for distribution.
Such outlets, he said, are no more of a problem than coming up with enough venison.
"What we're needing is someone in an area that will pick up the meat at the processor and get it to the food banks for distribution," Cady said.
"But it needs to be someone who will really champion the program, lining up the meat processors. We need some people who will take a little extra time out of their schedules."
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks sponsored a similar program for about five years in the Wichita area.
After providing several thousand meals for homeless and low-income Wichitans, the program was dropped because of low participation from sportsmen and processors.
For information on Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry nationally, log on to http://www.fhfh.org. For specifics on the Kansas program, call Cady at (620) 382-3282.