This blog is a little bit different from the other posts, but it’s for a good cause. As you look at the title, and if you’ve read many of my other blogs, you might assume this is just a humorous title about one of my food binges at a conference buffet, but no, this is a more serious celebration, more serious than my other two favorite days of the year: Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast day on February 18th and Buy your Veterinarian a Drink Day on December 4th (I made the second one up, but I’m hoping it catches on). October 16th is world food day, a day when individuals and groups can commit to ending hunger by donating, organizing food drives, or planning for the future of their food production that includes the commitment to end hunger. On October 16, 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the Union Nations was created, which then spurred the beginning of World Food Day in 1979. It has been joined by individuals, groups, and farmers across North America. I know many of my clients are involved in the fight to end hunger in some way or another, so I thought I’d use this blog to highlight some ways to get involved in World Food Day and the fight to end hunger all over the world. Many of the large animal producers in this area donate the processed meat from their livestock to food pantries. Other clients, with acres upon acres of crops or just small gardens, donate produce to food pantries across the state and local organizations that serve low income families. To find your local food pantry visit http://www.foodpantries.org/. It’s a great way to give back to the community and allows the producers and individuals to share their harvest that might otherwise go to waste. Not to be cynical or anything, but there are also tax credits for donating to the local food pantry, so if that’s what convinces you that it’s a good idea, do it. Check out the Department of Revenue requirements for this tax credit at http://dor.mo.gov/taxcredit/fpt.php. The more money you save, the more you can give back, right? And your accountant will think better of price-gouging such a nice person when they see what a generous giver you are at tax time. There are also other ways for people to help in this campaign to end hunger. Check online and find organizations that help with these endeavors. Local readers can check out http://sharefoodbringhope.org/howard-county/ to find organizations to donate to, how to help school children through the Buddy Pack Program, or find events in the area that help support these same efforts. Many of my clients also use their hobbies to help end hunger, and deer season is just around the corner. They donate venison through the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Share the Harvest Program. By taking it to an approved processor, they only have to let the processor know how much of the meat to donate, and it’s taken care of from there. There are some counties that assist with processing fees too. Check out the Share the Harvest website to find out more information about this program: http://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-share-harvest. There’s no better argument for why you are spending so much on hunting gear than donating the meat to help others. If you still need more convincing, think about some of these statistics:
Please visit http://www.worldfooddayusa.org/ to learn more about World Food Day. World Food Day is a day to “declare” your intentions to help end hunger, not just a day of action, so please, share your comments below, declare your intentions, and spread the word. Anyone else notice I’m becoming a softy closer to my due date. I might need to head out to the gun range. I can’t hunt though, too much down time, but maybe I’ll use my nesting phase to run out to Aldi, buy a ton of food for the food pantry, then volunteer to organize their shelves.
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Jessica Stroupe, DVM
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August 2017
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