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The Rotary kicked off preparations at an Oct. 29 luncheon at the Carriage House, by presenting the winner of the annual First Night button design contest. This year's prize was awarded to Millbrook High School sophomore Brian Worthington. His green and white winter landscape sketch was converted into a festive button, 1,200 of which will eventually be circulated throughout the community.
"I didn't really have high hopes of winning," said Worthington, whose entry was part of a project assigned to his art class. His design was singled out among entries from several art classes in Millbrook and surrounding schools.
Merritt Book Store owner Scott Meyer introduced Worthington. "Not only is he a great artist and student, but he is also a great reader," said Meyer. He also coaxed the young man to admit his impressive riding skills-Worthington placed 13th out of 110 contestants in a "barrel" horse race that took place in Ohio the preceding weekend.
Worthington's art teacher, Michael Spross, accompanied him to the luncheon to officially accept the award. Worthington was presented with a copy of his button, and had previously received a cash prize.
The First Night Celebration sponsored by the Rotary will take place on New Year's Eve from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event will feature performances from various local talents. 37 local businesses and individuals have already contributed to the event, including the Dyson Foundation, which donated $2,500 to fund the Bindlestiff Family Circus.
Joyce Heaton thanked fellow director Betty Renner for writing and submitting a grant to the district. The club also expressed its sincere gratitude for a $500 general donation from the Millbrook Arts Group.
The featured speakers at the meeting were Roger Humeston, representing Hunters Helping the Hungry, and Bill Connors, outdoor sports columnist for the Pougkeepsie Journal. Both discussed the Hunters Helping the Hungry program, which accepts venison donations from local hunters, which are processed and distributed to local food pantries.
According to Humeston, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets made donating venison legal just 10 years ago. Humeston was involved in the local operation from its inception. Initially, the group had three or four freezers to collect and distribute meat. Butchers would volunteer their time to process the deer-all meat is donated in either stew or hamburger form. Boar's Head donated a truck to the organization and a grant from the NRA provided walk-in coolers.
"The program has grown every year," said Humeston, who has built a meat cutting facility on his own property. Four to six thousand pounds of meat are donated each year. This year, pheasant and duck breasts are also being collected. Volunteers from the area converge on Tuesday nights at Humeston's facility to process donations. He noted that the volunteers are deeply gratified by the fact that their messy work is feeding people in need.
Connors spoke about the practicality of hunting as a method of controlling the overabundant wildlife population. The Hunters Helping the Hungry program utilizes meat that may have otherwise gone to waste. "We're taking these deer that were previously getting buried in the back field," explained Connors.
Greater allowances are being offered to hunters. Currently, many farms are able to apply for crop damage permits, which allows owners to reduce the number of deer invading their crops. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in this area has begun mandating that all farmers with crop damage permits donate half of their deer in order to be eligible for permits again.
"The population of deer is going to continue to grow," said Connors, and thus will the Hunters Helping the Hungry program take on added importance. He remembered, early in the program, offering deer meat to the Fishkill Food pantry, whose volunteers turned it away, saying, "I could never give people that." The following year, the same food pantry called the hunters begging for donations of meat, which they tearfully and happily accepted. "Maybe everyone doesn't want to eat venison," he said, "but that is a choice you should allow them to make."
While Hunters Helping the Hungry is a national program, local organizations operate independently. Currently, those who purchase a hunting license in New York State may donate dollars the Venison Coalition. According to Connors, deer meat is quite nutritious. The several thousand pounds donated each year has alleviated thousands of cases of hunger and has certainly insured that game does not go to waste.
The Millbrook Rotary meets every Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. The public is invited to attend in order to listen to speakers. The Nov. 12 meeting will also take place at the carriage house and will feature a talk by J.Y. Valette on voyaging to Timbuktu.
