Blustery days will soon give way to a hint of Spring, but not quite yet! In the month of February our volunteers crafted and delivered an impressive 635 meals and $2803 in dry goods to neighbors in need. These numbers remind us that small acts of kindness really add up and by spreading the donation love, we hope the long nights were just a little bit brighter for our clients thanks to your continued support.
We hope you’re all staying warm today and I wish you more lamb than lion this March.
Community Spotlight
Pastor Barry Secrest and his family would like to extend an invitation to anyone and everyone to join their joyful, meaningful, and unique community.
FBC enjoys a great diversity among its members. All ethnicities, classes, ages, and preferences make up the “melting pot” of FBC. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to be a part of the unified body of believers in Christ.
FBC offers several events and opportunities for members to gain personal strength through a deeper relationship with Christ including their Outside The Box ministry designed to aid special-needs community members, as well as College and Career Services which provide mentorship and guidance to young worshippers. Celebrate recovery with Reformers Unanimous and join Pastor Barry for his famous Coffee Time Chats on Facebook. Their warm, friendly atmosphere will make you feel like family.
We want to thank Pastor Barry and the FBC for becoming our most recent Meal Pick-up Location Partner and for their continued dedication to our food insecure community members. Their seemingly endless energy is truly an inspiration!
Visit our “Volunteers” Page to learn more!
It’s Actually Really Helpful…
Fewer young people are taking up the sport of hunting. In many areas, this has resulted in an increase in deer populations and consequent damage to crops and property. Hunting is a sport that has many opponents and advocates. Some people see it as a barbaric practice that should be banned, while others believe that it plays an important role in preserving our natural resources. So, what are some reasons why hunting is good for the environment? Actually, there’s kind of a lot of them…
Hunting benefits the health of local species.
Well-managed deer hunts help to keep deer populations in check, which can prevent them from destroying habitat and competing with other species for food. The overpopulation of deer and underpopulation of wolves, throws the balance out of whack. Thinning the amount of deer that need to compete for limited local resources also keeps the rest of the herd fed and healthy, instead of skinny, sickly, and spreading disease.
Deer can decimate a cornfield.
In 2019, Delaware’s farmers suffered “up to 85% crop loss” due to deer feeding on fields of corn and soybeans. Since then, the state has set up relief funds for farmers who experience crop loss due to deer overpopulation with the Deer Damage Assistance Program as well as offer permits and hunting grounds in Redden State Forest for the hunting of antlerless deer. The early harvest of antlerless deer, specifically does, has been proven to be the most effective way of reducing local deer populations and associated crop damage.
The environmental perspective.
We have all seen the images of factory farms. Animals grown in darkness and misery, producing methane at alarming rates. The product is put on a fossil-fuel burning truck spewing C02 all across the country, until you drive your combustible engine to the store and buy it. That’s quite the carbon footprint for every pound of meat we consume. Consider instead that hunters typically have a deep respect for the environment that they are hunting in, they understand the importance of conservation and are actively protecting wildlife habitats. And is it not more humane to hunt an animal than to let it suffer from starvation or disease?
It’s tasty and good for you.
I’ve talked about this before so I’ll keep it short. Venison has fewer calories, less total fat, less saturated fat, higher protein, and almost double the amount of iron per serving versus beef. And because wild deer have spent their lives running, jumping and generally being athletic, it is also very delicious!
Hunting Helps.
And if all of this didn’t convince you, a major part of our protein donations come from the Hunters Against Hunger Program offered by DNREC. They provide thousands of pounds of venison to eligible non-profits like us every year. Since it began in 1992, it has provided more than 2 million meals to residents experiencing hunger. All donated deer are processed into ground venison, free of charge and the meat is distributed to participating charitable groups. The program only accepts deer harvested and registered in Delaware.
So grab your buds, grab your gear, and do your part to help a local farmer.
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