Passing the beef — Overwhelmed by beef donations, school district distributes straight to families

Christmas came early to some families this year when Weston County School District No. 1 stakeholders gathered at the district’s distribution center Dec. 18 to receive the proceeds from area ranchers’ donations of beef. Enough beef was donated that each student qualified to receive 5 pounds of beef for their household, according to a district flyer.

Superintendent Brad LaCroix said on Dec. 19 that the district, which had the “great problem” of receiving too many donations, wanted to be sure that those donations didn’t go to waste. The district only has so much freezer space, he said, and even if it did have the space to store all the meat, it may not have been consumed quickly enough to avoid freezer burn.

LaCroix said that of the more than 700 students in the district, 250 to 300 students and their families took advantage of the opportunity to receive free beef at the distribution event.

Considering that the price of beef might be $8 a pound, “I think that speaks volumes to the community. I think it speaks volumes to our donors that we choose to live in these kinds of rural areas because you can take care of people in different ways,” LaCroix said.

The event was open to all children from kindergarten through 12th grade, and students who missed the event will still receive their share of the roughly 1,500 pounds of donated beef.

LaCroix said that he even knows some students may have given their allotment to families who they believe needed it more than their own.

“I think that speaks hugely to some of our students’ generosity and humanity that they’re aware of that and able to do that,” he said.

The district’s flyer thanked area ranchers and other individuals who helped make the event possible. It listed the following people and companies: John and Robin Riesland, Sean Crabtree, Andy Podio, Chuck Farella (Cretaceous Land), Thunder Basin Coal, J & H Oil and Gas, Triple T Enterprises (Tysdal family), Loretta and Shell Murphy, Halverson Farms, Decker’s Market and First Northern Bank of Wyoming.

“It all starts with some key donors that really stepped forward,” LaCroix said. “And I think it also tells us the volume of need out there, the different stressors (people) are facing in today’s strange economic times.”

Decker’s Market store director Clint Mullen said the store donated about 500 pounds of pork to the district by buying pigs from students who raised them.

“It’s a great opportunity to support the local kids that are investing so much time and money into raising their animals, so we feel it’s important to give back to the community and support those youth,” he said.

When school officials and donors became aware that the district was going to be in possession of a surplus of locally-sourced meat, they quickly embraced the notion of sharing the extra meat with students and their families.

Mike Morrison, First Northern Bank’s Newcastle market president, said Podio and Crabtree contacted him, asking whether he and the bank’s marketing director in Newcastle, Dillon Ehlers, would haul meat that had been processed in Buffalo back to Newcastle for the distribution event. Morrison and Ehlers eagerly completed the task early on Dec. 17, and hundreds of local families showed up the next day to take advantage of the unexpected blessing.

School board clerk Billy Fitzwater said on Dec. 19 that he was among the many people who helped distribute hamburger meat to everyone.

“I want to see what’s best for kids, and help in any way I can,” Fitzwater said.

Morrison, who’s a rancher himself, said he would like to see more Weston County beef used in local schools.

“Locals giving back to locals with local produce and beef. That’s what it’s about,” he said.

Ehlers said that being able to help the district means a lot to him because he’s seen the “highs and lows” for the school district and the families it serves. His mother, Denise Ehlers, has been a first grade teacher for the district for about 30 years, and he said he knows the beef donations help both the district and its families afford the meat.