Joining the hunt to help fend off hunger
Every year, tens of thousands of hunters around Ohio head for the hills and dales of the surrounding countryside in search of that one big game buck with the rack that looks like a small oak tree, or to bag the six deer limit while displaying their nerves of steel and incredible hunting prowess.
Many of those hunters will be traversing the woodlands of Holmes County in hopes of bagging the big one, and now, thanks to a national push, hunters in Holmes County will have an opportunity not just to create hunting memories for a lifetime, but fulfill a much greater need for their friends and neighbors in the area who are struggling to make ends meet.
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) is a national organization that focuses on using donated deer meat to feed needy families, and local hunters who choose to participate in this giving charity are allowing their joy of the outdoors and hunting to spread to families throughout the county.
FHFH was founded in 1998 by Rick Wilson, a Hagerstown, Md., art teacher. FHFH provides processing fees for Christian Missions Network of Brothers, venison processors and nonprofit food charities throughout the United States. Currently, in Ohio, there are nearly four dozen chapters, and three years ago Holmes County joined the organization, stepping up to help feed families during these difficult times.
FHFH established a new chapter specific to Holmes County two years ago, and since then, donations have come pouring in. The Holmes County chapter is being headed up by Dustin Taylor of Millersburg.
“FHFH is a tremendous outreach ministry in our community, and since I enjoy hunting, it seemed like a great way to get involved,” said Taylor. “This is the perfect time for hunters to get involved, too, since deer season is kicking into high gear.”
Why would a hunter want to incur the expense of shooting a deer and then pay to have it processed, only to give it away? That is the uniqueness of this program. Through donations and a grant from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which provides a matching grant up to $100,000 that is distributed evenly among the county organizations throughout the state, it is of no expense to the hunter who decides to get involved.
All a hunter needs to do is deliver the deer carcass to Miller Custom Meat, the Holmes County drop spot, located at 5493 CR 68 near Becks Mill, and owner Ben Raber will take over from there.
Raber was approached by Taylor in the infancy of the program in Holmes County, and he and his family quickly saw how getting involved with such a monumental effort would be incredibly beneficial to many.
“Right away we saw that this was going to touch a lot of lives in a positive way,” said Raber. “A lot of families are being blessed by this program, and the nice thing is that it doesn’t cost hunters anything. They can reach out to area families and make a difference just doing what they love doing.”
In the first year of the program, Taylor was hopeful that they would get in 20 or 30 deer. They shot past that number, and last year they signed a contract with Miller’s for 100 deer, even though Miller said that more came in, and they were able to handle them.
Once the deer come in, they debone it and grind it into two-pound packages of burger. Raber said that over the past years families have come back in to have the burger made into hot dogs and patties or even deer bologna, which is fine with him. He just wants to be part of the machine that creates a windfall for area families.
Once the meat is packaged, a truck from the Love Center Food Pantry picks up the meat and hauls it back to their building north of Millersburg, where they store it in one of their walk-in freezers. From that point on, it is just a matter of the Love Center volunteers distributing the meat when families come in to pick up their food.
“Last year we received several tons of venison, and that feeds a whole lot of families,” said Mark Rohrer, Love Center director. “Venison seems to be a really popular choice around these parts. Once deer season starts up and the program kicks in we always have some on hand, although we go through it pretty quickly.
“This program has been an incredible blessing to many people, and it is a pleasure to be involved in such a wonderful program.”
That program saw 5,500 tons of deer meat donated last year, which Rohrer said would make close to 22,000 meals for families.
Taylor said that with the economy struggling and many people looking for work, support from other sources is vital for some, and he believes that because FHFH takes an entire community of caring people, it shows how much goodwill there is among the people of Holmes County and by the hunting community in particular. What makes it even more exciting for him is that all of the donated meat stays right here, where it will go to serve families on the local level.
“One of the reasons I wanted to get involved with this program was so that all of the meat donated would go to families right here in Holmes County,” said Taylor. “Hunters have shown a great deal of compassion for others in doing what they do to support this program.”
Taylor added that aside from the deer donations, others in the county who may not hunt can get involved with this worthwhile cause simply by making a monetary donation. Donations are matched dollar for dollar by the ODNR matching funds grant and are used to pay the processor.
Checks can be made out to FHFH and mailed to Taylor at 6526 TR 323, Millersburg. FHFH is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all donations are tax deductible. In outlying areas around Holmes County, deer may also be dropped off to both Shreve Meats and Yoder Meats in Fredericksburg, which are participating in the program for Wayne County. Anyone with questions concerning the program may call Taylor at 330-231-3295.
“I want to thank everyone for their generous donations in the past and for what they will bring in this year,” said Taylor, who invites area hunters to grab their guns and bows, take aim and make a difference. “We are extremely honored and grateful to be part of a county where people care so much about the people around them. This is just one big effort by many to ease the stress on their friends and neighbors.”
Many of those hunters will be traversing the woodlands of Holmes County in hopes of bagging the big one, and now, thanks to a national push, hunters in Holmes County will have an opportunity not just to create hunting memories for a lifetime, but fulfill a much greater need for their friends and neighbors in the area who are struggling to make ends meet.
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) is a national organization that focuses on using donated deer meat to feed needy families, and local hunters who choose to participate in this giving charity are allowing their joy of the outdoors and hunting to spread to families throughout the county.
FHFH was founded in 1998 by Rick Wilson, a Hagerstown, Md., art teacher. FHFH provides processing fees for Christian Missions Network of Brothers, venison processors and nonprofit food charities throughout the United States. Currently, in Ohio, there are nearly four dozen chapters, and three years ago Holmes County joined the organization, stepping up to help feed families during these difficult times.
FHFH established a new chapter specific to Holmes County two years ago, and since then, donations have come pouring in. The Holmes County chapter is being headed up by Dustin Taylor of Millersburg.
“FHFH is a tremendous outreach ministry in our community, and since I enjoy hunting, it seemed like a great way to get involved,” said Taylor. “This is the perfect time for hunters to get involved, too, since deer season is kicking into high gear.”
Why would a hunter want to incur the expense of shooting a deer and then pay to have it processed, only to give it away? That is the uniqueness of this program. Through donations and a grant from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which provides a matching grant up to $100,000 that is distributed evenly among the county organizations throughout the state, it is of no expense to the hunter who decides to get involved.
All a hunter needs to do is deliver the deer carcass to Miller Custom Meat, the Holmes County drop spot, located at 5493 CR 68 near Becks Mill, and owner Ben Raber will take over from there.
Raber was approached by Taylor in the infancy of the program in Holmes County, and he and his family quickly saw how getting involved with such a monumental effort would be incredibly beneficial to many.
“Right away we saw that this was going to touch a lot of lives in a positive way,” said Raber. “A lot of families are being blessed by this program, and the nice thing is that it doesn’t cost hunters anything. They can reach out to area families and make a difference just doing what they love doing.”
In the first year of the program, Taylor was hopeful that they would get in 20 or 30 deer. They shot past that number, and last year they signed a contract with Miller’s for 100 deer, even though Miller said that more came in, and they were able to handle them.
Once the deer come in, they debone it and grind it into two-pound packages of burger. Raber said that over the past years families have come back in to have the burger made into hot dogs and patties or even deer bologna, which is fine with him. He just wants to be part of the machine that creates a windfall for area families.
Once the meat is packaged, a truck from the Love Center Food Pantry picks up the meat and hauls it back to their building north of Millersburg, where they store it in one of their walk-in freezers. From that point on, it is just a matter of the Love Center volunteers distributing the meat when families come in to pick up their food.
“Last year we received several tons of venison, and that feeds a whole lot of families,” said Mark Rohrer, Love Center director. “Venison seems to be a really popular choice around these parts. Once deer season starts up and the program kicks in we always have some on hand, although we go through it pretty quickly.
“This program has been an incredible blessing to many people, and it is a pleasure to be involved in such a wonderful program.”
That program saw 5,500 tons of deer meat donated last year, which Rohrer said would make close to 22,000 meals for families.
Taylor said that with the economy struggling and many people looking for work, support from other sources is vital for some, and he believes that because FHFH takes an entire community of caring people, it shows how much goodwill there is among the people of Holmes County and by the hunting community in particular. What makes it even more exciting for him is that all of the donated meat stays right here, where it will go to serve families on the local level.
“One of the reasons I wanted to get involved with this program was so that all of the meat donated would go to families right here in Holmes County,” said Taylor. “Hunters have shown a great deal of compassion for others in doing what they do to support this program.”
Taylor added that aside from the deer donations, others in the county who may not hunt can get involved with this worthwhile cause simply by making a monetary donation. Donations are matched dollar for dollar by the ODNR matching funds grant and are used to pay the processor.
Checks can be made out to FHFH and mailed to Taylor at 6526 TR 323, Millersburg. FHFH is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all donations are tax deductible. In outlying areas around Holmes County, deer may also be dropped off to both Shreve Meats and Yoder Meats in Fredericksburg, which are participating in the program for Wayne County. Anyone with questions concerning the program may call Taylor at 330-231-3295.
“I want to thank everyone for their generous donations in the past and for what they will bring in this year,” said Taylor, who invites area hunters to grab their guns and bows, take aim and make a difference. “We are extremely honored and grateful to be part of a county where people care so much about the people around them. This is just one big effort by many to ease the stress on their friends and neighbors.”
Published: October 8, 2011
