Deer From Reduction Effort Donated To Our Father's House

An organization whose purpose is to feed those in need is helping to donate deer from the Warsaw deer-reduction effort to feed the hungry in the community.

The Wabash chapter of Farmers and Hunters Feeding The Hungry, a Christian outreach ministry that helps feed venison and other big game to the hungry, is offering to pay the processing fee for deer havested in the Warsaw deer-reduction effort.

The meat will be processed and donated to Our Fathers House, Warsaw, to be used for their recipient services food pantry.

Hunters can donate the meat for processing to Bales Butcher Shop, Syracuse. Alternate donation locations are Holland's Deer Processing, Peru, and Lynn's Custom Butchering, Wabash.

Those who would like to donate may send a tax deductible check to FHFH IN-03, 44E-200N., Wabash, IN. 46992.

Our Father's House serves 20 to 50 families a day, according to Roz Morgan, founding director.

"My belief as the founder of Our Father's House is that we have a moral obligation to feed those in need," Morgan said.

She said families are thrilled when they receive deer meat.

Morgan said the organization has received deer meat in the past from FHFH and received meat from two deer this week from hunters from Depuy.

To qualify for the meat, Morgan said, the families must show a need.

The FHFH Wabash chapter consists of coordinator Doug Martin and his son Dan, who serves as assistant coordinator.

Doug and Dan deliver the meat to food pantries after it is processed.

"I didn't realize the big need for feeding the hungry right in our county until I started delivering meat," Dan said.

Delivering deer meat to help those less fortunate is nothing new to the Wabash chapter of FHFH.

Doug started the Wabash chapter in 2004 and the organization has delivered deer meet to more than 18 food pantries in Indiana.

He said there are seven FHFH chapters in Indiana and 100 chapters in the United States.

Some of the other pantries the ministry has served include Helping Hands, Wabash, The Salvation Army, Peru, and The Winchester Center, Wabash.

FHFH is a national organization founded in 1997 and has processed 1,600 tons of venison and other big game for soup kitchens and food pantries across America.

The Warsaw City Council approved a resolution and an ordinance at its Nov. 6 meeting to allow trained archers to hunt in declared nuisance zones.

The deer task force, co-chaired by city council member Jeff Grose, has spent the past nine months researching methods to control the deer herd near Spring Hill.

The task force has identified a deer nuisance zone within the city limits, including the entire area around Spring Hill, Kosciusko County Hospital and U.S. 30.

Archery hunters approved by a management committee and Mayor Ernie Wiggins will be required to remain in the zones at least 70 yards away from residential properties while participating in the reduction effort.

The management committee will attempt to assign at least eight archers in each zone. The committee will consist of Wiggins, Chief of Police Steve Foster and a member of the city council appointed by the mayor.

A training session will be held Saturday at the Warsaw Police Department for potential hunters.

Jeff Grose, co-chair of the deer task force, said a deer management committee will select archers the first week of December and then start placing them in reduction zones the second week of December.

Those selected into the program will participate only on weekdays in the reduction zones until Jan. 7.