Jill's Journal: ‘Give where you live’
There’s a saying, “Give where you live,” which essentially is encouraging us to volunteer, to donate to worthy causes, to be a good community partner.
And that’s where the Ed Polzine Wild Game Feed crew fits into my personal “give where you live” mantra. While I never personally knew the man behind the organization’s name, I’ve heard many stories about him. My summary of the man I never met: He may have been gruff on the outside but he had a huge heart to help, especially kids.
This Saturday, the Game Feed folks will carry out the 41st – that’s right, 41 years – of cooking and serving up a buffet of entrees, all made by the Game Feed committee under the menu-planning leadership of Michelle Harstad. I’m here to tell you, this gal knows how to cook wild game.
And speaking of wild game, we’ve got pheasants coming out of our ears, thanks to some eagle-eye hunters who choose to share their bounty with us. Donations of venison were a little tougher this year, but in the last few weeks leading up to the event, we’ve been fortunate to have a few freezers opened up to us. Thank you.
Diners will also get a taste of frog legs, walleye, duck, goose, and for the more particular palates, there will be some more familiar entrees as well.
If there’s one promise that I can make, it’s this: No one should have reason to go away hungry.
The food is just part of the yearly event – always held the Saturday night before the Super Bowl at the Brandon VFW – we’ll have a live auction with some great donated items to be bid on, there will be raffle boards, pay-what-you-pull, a 50/50 raffle, a spin wheel of toys for the kids, and most importantly, the opportunity to “give where you live.”
Last week, as our committee was wrapping up our planning meeting, there were a few local names of people being treated for cancer that surfaced in our conversation. I can tell you that without hesitation, we cast a unanimous vote for both.
The real joy in what we do and why we do it comes when we place a check in the hands of someone battling cancer, picking up the pieces from a fire or donating to a goodwill cause, like our local veterans or the food pantry, for example.
Last week, I saw firsthand how much these acts of kindness means to a recipient. The wife wiped away tears as she looked at the check, somewhat in disbelief. I say “disbelief,” because our donations are never expected by recipients. We know the monetary donation helps them to make ends meet, but it’s more than that. It also tells that a community cares for them, and they’re not in this battle alone.
As I watched the recipient’s wife wipe away her tears, I felt a huge lump in my throat.
“And that’s why we do what we do,” I whispered to a few of my game feed colleagues.
And that’s how “we give where we live.”
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If you’re on the hunt for some tasty vittles and a worthy cause to support, please join us at the Brandon VFW this Saturday, Feb. 7 for the 41st Annual Ed Polzine Wild Game Feed. The buffet opens at 5:30 p.m. (suggested $10 per person) and the live auction begins at 7 p.m. You may want to come early to reserve a chair, purchase raffle board squares, 50/50 tickets and more.
