From the Woods to a Can
The Liberty FFA Chapter will host its fourth annual deer drive on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Bedford Co-op. Liberty FFA has partnered with the local charity organization, Hunters for the Hungry – Virginia, to host the event for the past four years, asking local hunters in the community to donate white-tailed deer in order to produce canned venison soup to feed those in need.
Since 2023, the Liberty FFA Deer Drive has been an annual event that brings the community together. It was started by 2023-24 Liberty FFA Vice President Jenna Goff, who was a neighbor of Hunters for the Hungry director Gary Arrington, past Liberty FFA Advisor Lindsay Tomlinson said. After Goff graduated, the responsibility for the event was taken up by senior Carlene Gilliam, the 2026-27 Liberty FFA president. This will be Gilliam’s last year helping coordinate the event.
The deer drive has been a part of the organization since 2004. Arrington expressed his “joy to build the relationships with these wonderful young people while helping them to serve their community.”
He added, “The feeding programs receiving this precious food resource have expressed their deepest appreciation” and that they “ look forward to continuing this wonderful effort and partnership for years to come.”
Over the past three years, the deer drive has provided 36 deer. This equals 1,440 pounds of red meat and provides “5,700 quarter-pound servings to men, women, children, the elderly, the homeless, and veterans throughout Bedford who are struggling with food insecurity.” To learn more about Hunter’s for the Hungry’s mission and how to help out, go to https://h4hungry.org/our-staff/ or call 800-352-4868.
Going into this year’s deer drive, “it’s an extraordinary opportunity to have been a part of this impactful event and it wouldn’t be possible without the hunters who are so generous and spend their day to hunt for those in need,” Gilliam said. The 2026-27 Liberty FFA Vice President, Cara Alphin, added, “We get to see local men and women do what they can to help feed others in our area. They don’t have to donate the deer that they get, but they do, and it means so much just to be able to be a part of this!” Highlights of the day include loading deer into the coolers, the Liberty FFA Alumni Soup Tent, and having conversations with the hunters who provide the deer.
Liberty FFA hopes to obtain 14 deer this year in order to beat last year’s record of 13. Chapter members express their excitement of the years to come partnering with Hunters for the Hungry and are so grateful to those who volunteer for the events and, most of all, who donate deer to feed the community.
