Food for Families: Chicken Edition

Help us support people suffering from food insecurity by turning an agricultural and small business misfortune into community opportunity: chickens for families.

 

Big Bluff Ranch (www.bigbluffranch.com) is a holistically managed small family ranch that specializes in pastured raised chicken in Northern California. Nestled into the foothills of the Yolla Bolly mountains, three generations of the Dawley family work collaboratively to provide high quality grass grazing , completely free-ranged meat chickens for consumers.

 

Recently, the Big Bluff Ranch buyer decided to close its doors with very little notice. While they were as generous as they could be given the circumstances, two days before the first of 6 harvests, we were informed that the buyer would not be taking or providing for the harvest of the birds on the ground. Suddenly, we were faced with the possible euthanization of thousands of birds in our care that were meant to feed individuals and families. This possibility was heart wrenching and tragic given those within our community that are dealing with the realities of food insecurity.

 

The supply chain from transportation to storage is a daunting thing when dealing with so many chickens. However, the Big Bluff Community has been so encouraging and helpful in developing alternatives that we have found solutions: new buyers plus an opportunity to donate to those in need. Loaves and Fishes (https://sacloaves.org/) in Sacramento, California, can take 1,500 of the 10,000 chickens to support their amazing programs for our at-risk community members, including unsheltered children.

 

It costs approximately, $4/chicken for harvest at our USDA processor. We are excited to donate food to Loaves and Fishes and fulfill the purpose of these chickens for which we have cared. The chickens and transportation are items we can donate. However, we cannot afford the entire processing fee. Our community has requested a way to help and we feel so blessed to offer this avenue through Go Fund Me to take this situation and turn it into a community action of opportunity.

 

Please consider a donation, today. Every $4 you donate, a chicken will be donated to Loaves and Fishes to feed a population in need. https://sacloaves.org/