Deb Treesh, executive director for Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, was the keynote speaker at the Purdue Extension – Kosciusko County annual meeting Monday, March 27.

By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews

LEESBURG — Deb Treesh, executive director of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, was the keynote speaker for the Purdue Extension – Kosciusko County annual meeting Monday, March 27, at Maple Leaf, Leesburg. She spoke of how the program began out of her garage and her journey to form a nonprofit to make the program what it is today.

In 2005, when her husband had a small butcher shop, they would process their own venison. After the kids moved out, they had five deer that weren’t needed. She contacted Community Harvest Food Bank and was told meat was “the hardest and most expensive commodity” —  and the most important item — for food banks . They donated the venison and that was the beginning of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry.

Treesh came up with the idea and learned from assistance of other nonprofits what needed to be done. She began working with Community Harvest Food Bank and the nine counties it serves. The first seven years she worked out of her home in two bedrooms turned into an office. Soon she needed a third person.

Family members owned a business in Garrett and had a storage unit. They offered it to her, but she had to clean and fix it up to make an office. “I started calling around the community to get costs,” she said. “All the people who were calling were saying, ‘We’ll donate that to you.’ By the time I got done we had $500 for that office.

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry started out with just venison. It grew, enabling her to go statewide to serve the 11 food banks in the state. They also partnered with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, who paid for the deer processing.

One day a neighbor said he had a beef that was not growing very well. There was nothing wrong with the animal and he was just going to dispose of it. “This is a huge opportunity for us,” she thought to herself. That was the beginning of accepting livestock.

The processing of all the meat is free to the donor. The fees for the venison processing is paid for through the DNR. The livestock processing costs are paid for through donations, grants and fundraisers.

Since the start of the program, it has given away 9 million meals and grew from 250 pounds being given away to 292,000 pounds. All the processing, if taken to one of the 88 processors within the program, is paid for by Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry. The processed meat is ground into one- or two-pound packages, frozen and distributed to food banks.

She stressed the donated meat doesn’t have to be an entire hog, beef, sheep, goat, chicken or deer. “It could be one-quarter, one-half or all of it,” she said. A chart was shown where one steer can provide 1,800 meals; a deer, 200 meals; sheep, 320 meals; hog, 500 meals; and chicken, 342 meals.

Treesh also pointed out that 87% of the funds they receive go to the program. Administrative costs are only 3.2% and payroll is 5.6%.

The annual meeting also included reports from the extension staff and extension homemakers president.

While the educators gave brief presentations, more details in each of the areas was provided in a PowerPoint presentation during the dinner.

Shannon Shepherd, health and human sciences educator, highlighted work with Captain Cash, an interactive education program for third-grade students teaching financial management skills such as earning, saving, spending and borrowing and the Realty Store program for high school sophomore students providing real life financial decisions. Another program highlighted was the “What’s In Your Bag,” an adult program regarding identity theft.

Andrew Ferrell, county extension director and 4-H Youth Development educator, addressed growing programs in the county outside the traditional livestock and general project area. He spoke of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program. A STEM after-school club is being offered at Jefferson Elementary in partnership with Grace College Department of Engineering and Purdue Extension. This program is a 12-week, once per week school club for grades 1-3. The program explores STEM topics and lessons, such as robot design, programming and coding, speed, gears, force, flight, aerodynamics, motion-sensing 3-D printing and structural supports.

Emily Kresca focused on the Farm Stress Team and efforts being done to bridge the gap of mental health awareness in farming. Information was also provided on the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, where specialists are being trained in phrases, equipment and environments of farm life and the stressors unique to agriculture and the lethal means on a farm.

Caroline Arnett, community wellness coordinator, briefly highlighted several projects, such as working with smaller communities in the area of food insecurities and community gardens.

Sue Martin, president of the county extension homemakers, spoke of some of the projects done as a county group and individual clubs. She noted there are currently 12 clubs and 157 members. Among the projects are making pillowcases, blankets and hats for hospitals. Clubs also partner with schools to assist with needs. “We just do things and don’t tell people what we do,” said Martin. The extension homemakers are seeking new, younger members to lend a hand.