Rotary hears update on Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry

The Carrollton Rotary Club hosted Duane Kienzle as guest speaker for its Jan. 27 noon meeting at The Villa Restaurant. Kienzle shared information about the work of the Carroll County chapter of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry.

Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry was founded by Rick Wilson as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1997. The organization was inspired by Wilson’s experience of stopping to assist a woman loading a roadkill deer into her vehicle to feed her three children.

The Carroll County chapter was organized in 2008 with encouragement from the local Farmers Bureau, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and local tree farmers. Mark Oboy serves as the chapter coordinator.

Donated meat, primarily deer carcasses, is processed locally by Don’s Custom Meats into 1-pound frozen packages of ground meat and distributed to local food pantries in Carrollton, Malvern and Waynesburg. Recipients have also included Disabled Veterans of Ohio and Hope Bridge. Farm animal donations are also accepted.

Kienzle said his primary role has been delivering frozen packages of meat from the processing facility to recipients. He said about 4,500 pounds of venison were donated through the program in Carroll County in fiscal year 2024-25. Since 2008, he said the program has delivered more than 252,000 meals to local partners, with more than 1,000 deer and more than 100 farm animals processed.

In other business, members were reminded of the Carroll Hills dance and pizza party Feb. 10.