4-H Livestock Can Feed Thousands
Published: Friday, June 23, 2023
One-fourth of the meat donated to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry comes from 4-H members, meaning Indiana's youth supply approximately 212,500 meals statewide.
Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry originated out of executive director Deb Treesh's family meat locker in DeKalb County in 2005 and within 10 years the organization began supplying meat to food pantries in all 92 counties. As the state impact grew, so did the supply of meat, which began just with hunted animals. Now, hunters, farmers and 4-H'ers can donate their animals to help feed those in need.
As the fair season approaches, special attention is being paid to 4-H.
"If they don't want their animal, they can donate the animal. I will pay all the processing fees on it, get it all ground up and then give it to the food banks locally," Treesh said.
She hopes to receive more livestock donations this year.
When a 4-H'er donates their livestock project, they can provide as many as 1,800 meals to hungry people in their community. A 5-pound chicken accounts for 8-12 servings, a 100-pound goat serves 320 meals, a lamb weighing 190 pounds provides 200 meals, a 250-pound pig provides 500 meals and a steer weighing 1,200 pounds serves 1,800 meals.
But the whole animal does not need to be donated to have an impact. Those who hesitate to give because they want to gain profits from their animal can designate a portion of their animal to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry when selling.
"They could give any amount that they want. Even if they gave 5 pounds that 5 pounds will feed 20 people," Treesh said. "So, they could just donate 5 pounds and it'll add up. It adds up fast! Just 10 people doing that would be 1,000 meals."
Treesh said 4-H members can have a huge impact on the program. For instance, there was one year when 4-H'ers in St. Joseph County (Ind.) decided to raise $14,000 to buy animals and donate the meat to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry.
"All of that meat went to their community," she said.
Treesh works with 88 butcher shops throughout Indiana and tries to keep every pound of donated meat in the county where it was raised and shown by 4-H'ers. Area counties have a total of 30 participating butchers, with four in Allen, one in Cass, two in DeKalb, five in Elkhart, two in Huntington, one in Kosciusko, four in LaGrange, two in Lake, one in LaPorte, one in Marshall, one in Noble, one in Pulaski, one in Steuben and three in Whitley.
Counties with high 4-H participation include: Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart and St. Joseph.
Treesh is seeking more 4-H involvement both in donations and, especially, in creating awareness. People are more likely to give to individuals they know than to an umbrella organization, Treesh said. If individuals in each county got more involved in educating others about Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, she says it will help the public to understand that their donations will help their own community.
To help get more people involved, Treesh is planning to introduce a challenge to see which county can donate the most meat. It will also serve as a competition between hunters, farmers and 4-H'ers. The group and county that donates the most will receive a trophy. Treesh hopes to implement the contest in 2024.
"I think it could go gangbusters" if there were more people actively reaching out to the community, she said.
"When I first started, I did not realize how many people were struggling, because people aren't just going to come up to you and say 'Hey, I haven't eaten in a week,'" Treesh said. "Your friends at school, they sure aren't going to tell you they haven't eaten. They're going to be embarrassed. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, but, unfortunately, people aren't going to say they're hungry."
According to Feeding America, nearly 800,000 Indiana residents experience food insecurity and 47% of these earn wages above the threshold to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry focuses on providing these individuals with nutritionally valuable meat.
"We're giving you quality food that's going to feed your brain," Treesh said.
This helps fight malnutrition due to the lack of proper food proportions, which often is caused by overeating carbohydrates because other food is too expensive.
"We're trying to make it good quality food, not just food (in pantries)," she said.
If anyone is interested in donating animal meat, contact Treesh at treesh@hoosiersfeedingthehungry.org.
"Nobody, nobody, should ever go without. Not in America, especially!"
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