Today’s Good News: Meat On The Table For America’s Poor
I’m not necessarily a big fan of hunting. But I have to give a tip of the hat to hunters who are feeding the hungry while government dithers. The Christian Science Monitor ( a terrific and underappreciated paper, if you never read it) had a nice story on hunters donating meat to America’s food pantries. They note that “dozens of programs, often run jointly by states and nonprofit groups, have cropped up since Safari Club, a pro-hunting organization, began donating unused game in the 1980s.” In the last few years, the donations have gone up dramatically, rising 30% last year alone.
“No chemicals. No hormones. It’s field stuff – free-range deer,” says Mary Weisenburg, a food pantry coordinator at the Urban Ministry in Athens, Ga. “[Recipients] love the venison chili, and when we serve it in burgers they don’t know the difference.”
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a ministry based in Maryland, collects meat in 26 states, including Georgia, Texas, and Virginia.
Read the whole story here.
Meanwhile,nearly 3 million Americans don’t receive the food stamps they’re eligible for. Hispanic areas seem to be some of the worst, no doubt because undocumented people are afraid of being caught. Only 31% participation in San Diego. And food prices are up. Food stamps typically allow for only $1 per meal. A farm bill with a decent increase in spending on food for the hungry has passed the House, and should be taken up in the Senate this fall. Read the story here.
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