Caption: Levi Britton and Sheryle Shandy, Billings Food Bank manager, shake hands over a box of fresh beef, the final result of the Cattlemen Feed the Needy program.
Cattlemen Feed the Needy
Nobody understands better than a farmer or rancher where the food that we eat comes from. And farmers and ranchers, by trade, are sensitive to the needs of a creature.
Hungry people need protein; ranchers grow beef and want to help. Here's where Levi Britton steps in. The Billings, Montana man founded the nonprofit Cattlemen Feed the Needy program in November, through which ranches can donate cattle to be processed for hamburger that is subsequently donated to the Billings Food Bank. Twelve cows have gone through the program so far.
Britton raises a few cows of his own north of Billings. But he also works in construction, and in recent years he's witnessed Billings growing ever larger.
"With growth comes more need as well," he says. "I wasn't sure Billings could keep up with that need, and I guess that's why I was prompted to help out with programs that were already set up."
When Britton found out that the Billings Food Bank donates up to four tons of meat to needy people per month, he could think of a real good source of meat. So he started advertising in Agri-News for ranchers to donate a cull or dry out of a load of cows brought to town.
Thanks to Britton's work behind the scenes, sale yard owner Pat Goggins donates the yard fee for the Food Bank cows that come in. Gary Dixon of G&S Transport trucks the cattle to T-Bone Feeders in Shepherd, where they're put on feed awaiting an open date at the slaughterhouse. Next, Skip's Critter Cutting slaughters the animal and wraps the meat according to the Food Bank's request. Though Skip is paid for his cut and wrap service, he does donate his slaughter fee to help out.
Finally, Britton delivers loads of hamburger and cube steak to the Food Bank, all donated in the name of the rancher who gave the cow.
"I keep it as painless as possible for the rancher and the Food Bank," Britton says. "We work out the details in between."
Through it all a paper trail between the rancher and the Food Bank is maintained, crediting the rancher with a $500 tax-deductible donation per animal.
"Knowing that your gift will result in a quality, high protein meal for the needy is priceless," says Britton.
Sheryle Shandy organizes the operations of the Billings Food Bank, which distributes to several ministries, including the Montana Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, and Family Services.
"Sheryle is so appreciative of everything that comes in the door," Britton says. "But she's especially appreciative of this meat because it's fresh and wrapped purposely for them."
The Food Bank organizes ingredients to deliver with the meat that will make for a healthy meal easy enough for a senior citizen or a child to prepare. For instance, a pound of hamburger might be accompanied by a box of spaghetti and a can of tomato sauce.
"We try to make sure that all the families that come to the agencies have hamburger, because it's so universally usable," explains Shandy.
She says the Cattlemen Feed the Needy program has already made a difference for the Food Bank.
"To have a cattleman actually come in and take the initiative - because he knows how to communicate with other ranchers and deal with feedlots and trucking and processing - it was just amazing," she says of Britton's plan. "I recently had a call from the wife of a couple who donated, and she expressed how pleased they were to know they could help. It's a matter now of getting the word out to the other producers around the state that there is an easy way to help us."
Britton has single-handedly gotten Cattlemen Feed the Needy off the ground, mostly with his own money. The program costs $300 per animal in processing and feeding expenses, and Britton has been paying out of his own pocket. But now he's asking businesses to come on board with donations to hold the program up. First to give were Stockman Bank and Yellowstone Bank. "I would hope some other businesses or private people might step up as well," Britton says.
His goal is to provide at least 10 cows per month through the program and keep it running year round.
"I commend Levi for really working at this to help those that need food," says Pat Goggins. Goggins would like to see the program grow, too, but notes that the first step is expanding slaughter space in Montana. "We have several excellent small slaughtering facilities that prepare carcasses for individuals, but most of our older cows and bulls go out of state to larger facilities," he says. "If this can be cured, we'll be able to provide even more local meat to the local folks who need it most."
Levi Britton would eventually like to see Cattlemen Feed the Needy expand to other Montana cities like Miles City, Butte, Great Falls, Missoula, and Kalispell. "If somebody would be willing to do in their area what I'm doing here, I'll share what I know and we can make it work," he says.
In the meantime, his main focus is keeping a good thing going in Billings. The program is constantly in need of more cattle, and Britton encourages every ranch to consider a regular donation. "It's a little extra running around, but it's worth it to reach out to those who need it most," he says.
For more information, visit www.CattlemenFeedTheNeedy.com. If you're planning to donate an animal, Britton asks that you contact him a day prior to the sale at 406.628.2593. Please note that while aged cattle, thin cattle, and mildly lame cattle are fine for donation, the program cannot accept cancer eyes, lump jaws, cows with large briskets, or severely lame cattle.
- Tami Arvik Blake, Agri-News editor