By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Aaron Andrews with MPIRE Realty was present on a chilly and wet Monday afternoon to watch his Trophies to Tables idea come to fruition. Andrews approached Trevor Olsen, co-owner and guide of Kansas Trophy Experience located just south of Great Bend, about donating deer meat to needy families in USD 428. In the first giveaway Monday, approximately 200 pounds of frozen meat were quickly distributed outside Great Bend High School in one-pound packages. Olsen said hunters are pleased to help out.
"We guide people from all over the state," he said. "A lot of guys are from far enough away that they have to fly. If they're lucky enough to harvest a deer, we're always donated some meat."
That meat was generally given to friends or family, or area game wardens donated some of the meat to families in need, but there was never a structure to the giving. That's where Andrews came in. As part of the Trophies to Tables program, Olsen asks hunters to also donate money so the deer meat can be professionally processed by B&B Quality Meats in Larned. He hopes Monday's event was the first of many.
"We still have a bunch of hunters coming," he said. "This is something we tell all our hunters up front and they're all for it. They, too, want to give back not only to our local community but to the kids in the local community."
Olsen said approximately 20 hunters are still scheduled to arrive in the area, and a youth doe hunt in January may provide even more donations. As for the venison itself, Olsen calls it a natural option that is processed like hamburger.
"It's all preference," he said. "There are certainly going to be some people who don't have a taste for it and don't like it. That's okay. There will be other people who really like it and enjoy it. I tell people they have to give it a try first. It's the same as beef. If you cook straight hamburger and don't do anything with it, it's not going to taste as good as a hamburger with some spices, cheese, bacon, and a bun."
USD 428 Public Information Director Andrea Bauer said the meat was distributed to approximately 40 families. It took only about 10 minutes to distribute the 200 pounds.