Local residents, Farm Bureau team up to fight hunger

Matt Gibson, Bill Gibson (Marshall Meats), Chad Geoit, Larry Walton, Shellie Gibson (Marshall Meats), Lisa Robb (Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau Administrator), Angela Shannon, Cliff Lipscomb, and a Loaves and Fishes truck driver are pictured at Marshall Meats where 2,745 pounds of venison were loaded on to a Kalamazoo Loaves And Fishes truck.


1st Annual Doe Derby yields 2,745 pounds of venison
for Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes

By Bruce Rolfe


An idea developed by a Climax farmer turned into an event that raised almost 2,745 pounds of venison and nearly $6,000 to help fight hunger.

Climax agricultural leader Matt Gibson, who serves on the Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors, brought the idea of having a Doe Derby event to help combat hunger to the Board of Directors.

Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau embraced the idea and hosted the Doe Derby event December 14.

With the help of local volunteers, donations from local businesses, and local hunters, the event yielded almost 2,745 pounds of venison that was delivered to Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes last week.

The event was open to the public. Local residents had the opportunity to bring one, or multiple does, to the December 14 event, held at Myers Farms in Scotts. Gibson said 71 deer were dropped off at the December 14 event. He said one family donated 18 deer.

The deer were taken to Marshall Meats for processing. The processing was paid for by Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau and the venison was donated to Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes.

Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau President Chad Geoit, Vice President Matt Gibson, board member Cliff Lipscomb, Farm Bureau Insurance Agent Angela Shannon, Michigan Farm Bureau District One Director Larry Walton assisted loading the one pound packages into a Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes truck at Marshall Meats January 13.

Gibson said typically, one pound of meat can feed a family of four, meaning the event raised enough meat to help feed 10,980 people.

All DNR regulations applied to deer that were checked in at the December 14 event, which featured a chili dinner served by To The Max BBQ.

There was an entry fee of $20 per hunter, which also entered the hunter into a participant only drawing for a $750 gift certificate to D&R Sports Center. There were also prize categories for biggest doe, most pounds of doe donated by one hunter, oldest hunter and youngest hunter at the event. Billy Hall won the prize for most pounds donated the day of the event.

Pictured above are some of the containers of venison that were loaded into a Kalamazoo Loaves And fishes truck at Marshall Meats January 13.
(Photo courtesy of Lisa Robb, Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau Administrator)

Raffle tickets were also available to purchase for a chance to win a variety of other prizes at the event. Michigan Foundation for Agriculture assisted with the raffle license. For every $1 raised at the event Michigan Farm Bureau’s Childhood Against Hunger program offered a contribution match up to $3,000, which Gibson said was nearly reached, meaning the event raised almost $6,000. Gibson said the approximately $3,000 in match funding will either be donated to Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes or Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau will work directly with the
organization to purchase other livestock that will offer another protein resource that can be spread out over a period of time.

Gibson said the items that were raffled off carried a street value of approximately $3,100. Local businesses also teamed up to donate raffle prizes or money to purchase raffle prizes.

Event sponsors included Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau, Farm Bureau’s End Childhood Hunger in Michigan, Michigan Foundation for Agriculture, Farm Bureau Insurance, Farm Bureau Insurance Jerrid Hisler Agency, Beck’s - John and Jenny Hayward, Farm Bureau Insurance Angela Shannon Insurance Agency, Lyster Exteriors, Farm Bureau Insurance, The Buckham Agency, Greenmark Equipment, ABS Spraying, LLC, Farm Bureau Co-op, Galesburg Hardware, Marshall Meats, D&R Sports Center, Wilbur Ellis, To The Max BBQ, and Myers Farms.

Greta Faworski, the associate director for Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, said because service numbers are at the highest the organization has ever seen, programs like the Doe Derby the Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau organized, becomes very important.

“To have a wide variety of food available including different meats is important. Any kind of things that we can get donated from the community help alleviate the food costs that we would have to put forth to purchase to meet our service needs. It’s wonderful to work with local farmers and to have any kind of locally sourced meat, produce, whatever it may be. Because it stays in the community, helps to support community members. It’s just a beautiful circle of connection and support,” said Faworski, who said Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes services approximately 850 people a day.

Faworski said the venison will be utilized in every community in Kalamazoo County but because the Pride of Scotts Community Center Pantry is a partner agency some of the venison will likely remain in the local community.

“The goal was to keep it in our community. We’re helping farmers, were helping with the deer damage, we’re helping take care of some of these automobile accidents with deer and just try to manage our deer herd,” said Gibson, who guessed there were approximately 35 volunteers that helped at the December 14 event.

“It was all about doing something for the community and doing something as a group and the board as leaders. It was all about having fun and doing that at the same time,” adds the Climax farmer, who said there are plans of holding a similar event in 2025.

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