Conducting a "clean out your freezer" food drive for game meat

Considerations...

• Check with a local food pantry, or the Community Food Banks office in Sioux Falls (1-877-366-3265) or Rapid City (1-800-211-4633), to find out if there is interest in receiving frozen game meat from a clean out your freezer" food drive in your community.
• If so, determine from the pantry or food bank involved what will be accepted in terms of kind(s) of game meat, age of game meat, home and/or commercially processed meat. Also determine food storage arrangements, and pick up and delivery arrangements.
• Possibly plan and coordinate with other organization(s) in your community.
• Select a date, and hours of day, to conduct the food drive. A Saturday in September or October just prior to the major deer hunting seasons usually works well as long as it does not conflict with the opening of another season.
• Select at least one food drop-off location that is well-known to the public, and make arrangements with the location owner.
• Provide plenty of publicity at least 2-3 weeks in advance of the food drive including what, when, where, why and how. Also arrange for media coverage of the drive.
• Arrange for plenty of coolers at the drop-off location(s) to temporarily store frozen meat until it can be taken to pre-arranged freezer(s). At least one person involved in conducting the food drive should be at each drop-off location for the duration to answer questions, monitor cooler storage space, and provide for timely delivery of the frozen food to a freezer for permanent storage until needed by the food pantry/bank.
• Report results back to the community with thanks.
• Contact Jeff Olson (605-342-2445) or Ron Fowler (605-280-4977) if have questions.