Bucks County 4-H Clubs Learn by Doing With A Harvest 4-Health

Each year scores of 4-H club members compete at the annual August Wrightstown Grange Fair.  This year Molly Scheetz showed and sold her market hog at the fair.  While watching the hog auction, several members of the 4-H Sheep Club decided it would be a good community service to support the Pig Club by purchasing a hog and then donate the pork to the New Britain Food Larder, so a couple of auction bids later they purchased Molly’s hog!
 
The hog was sent for processing at the Springfield Meats Co. owned by Richard Baringer, a long time supporter of Bucks County 4-H.  When Springfield’s operations manager, Chip DeWitt learned that the hog would be donated to help feed people in need, he waived the processing fees and became part of the community service project.
 
While planning to deliver the pork to the Larder, other members of the Sheep Club decided that it would be good to also donate lamb, so several of the club members donated one of their market lambs to the cause, which was also processed by Springfield.
 
The Club contacted Molly to invite her to join them for the delivery of her hog to the Larder, and that was when Molly, also a member of the 4-H Poultry Club, decided to donate chicken.  So, members of the Bucks Clucks 4-H Poultry Club raised broilers and donated 20 meat birds. Before the kids realized it, their simple idea turned into a significant donation of several hundred pounds of meat, involved several 4-H clubs and one area business!
 
The New Britain Food Larder serves 900-925 people a month in the Central Bucks area.   Each month over 300 families come to receive food donations given by individuals, clubs, churches, schools, organizations and businesses. Bucks County 4-H is an example of a community organization with members ranging in ages from 8-18 under the direction of Bucks County Extension Educator, Bob Brown from the Penn State Cooperative Extension Agency (215-345-3283).   With the 4 H's standing for head, heart, hands and health, the 4-H motto is "To make the best better", and its slogan is "Learn by doing", these 4-H clubs and their members exemplify commitment to their community.