Women in hunting serve up some education with hot meals
A group of women served hot meals made of deer, bear and moose meat on Sunday to help feed the hungry and to expose people to the delicacies of wild game.
They are part of the Women That Hunt Association in Nova Scotia. They share a vision of educating and inspiring women and youth into the hunting and fishing lifestyle.
Their goal was to prepare and serve approximately 300 meals at the Truro fire station in support of families who use local food banks and shelters.
Being aware of the process
"Wild meat is not a substandard option," said Kelly Countway, president of the association.
"I know it's extremely controversial and I guess what the group is trying to show people is that by hunting you can learn to respect the process and you'll appreciate the value of life more because you're taking on that responsibility yourself."
Countway believes people are losing sight of where their meat comes from.
"What once was an inherent skill being passed down … is now really diminished, so a lot of people won't even try wild meat or venture into that because it doesn't come from the grocery store," she said.
'People are nervous'
A chef was aided by first-year culinary students from Nova Scotia Community College. It helped the students gain experience preparing wild game.
"There is a kind of stigma around wild game," said Jessica Proulx, the leading chef and a member of the association.
She hoped the meals would give people the chance to overcome their nervousness and try wild game.
Hunters donating
The effort is also raising awareness about Helping the Hungry, a joint initiative of the hunting community and Feed Nova Scotia. The program allows hunters to donate a portion of their deer, moose or bear meat to help feed families.
"There's a lot of people who can't afford meat," said Rod Googoo, the chief of We'koqma'q First Nation.
Googoo donated moose meat for the event.
"It's always good for us to share from wherever culture you may come from," he said.
