WILMINGTON —A Clinton County Junior Fair exhibitor wants to make sure that area residents have enough to eat.
Haley Dean, 14, donated her 1,212-pound 4-H steer to be processed for beef and given to the local community food pantry, Our Father’s Kitchen.
The steer will provide the community with an estimated 600-700 pounds of beef.
This is Haley’s first year taking a fat steer to the fair and she told her parents that she felt like God wanted her to donate the meat to help the community. She asked if, rather than sending him to the stock yards to be sold for beef, she could donate him to Our Father’s Kitchen.
With the last-minute help of her parents and after calling several meat packers who were booked up until January, Haley was able to find J&L Farm Butcher Shop in Medway, Ohio, which offered to waive packing fees, discount processing fees and take the steer on Monday to donate to charity.
Haley then contacted Clinton Memorial Hospital which was eager to help the local community with this project.
As everything fell together, Alexander Show Cattle donated the transportation to get the steer from the Clinton County Fair to J&L Farm Butcher Shop.
Haley said that the 4- H pledge states: I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, My Heart to greater loyalty, My Hands to larger service, my Health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world — and she wanted to help her community.
Haley expresses her thanks to Clinton Memorial Hospital, J&L Farm Butcher Shop and Alexander Show Cattle.
