By LeRae Haynes
Sixteen 4-H youth have a head start on their 2014 project, thanks to bursaries from Save-On-Foods in 100 Mile House and Williams Lake.
Store managers Craig Lee of 100 Mile House and Mark Law of Williams Lake handed out three $675 steer bursaries and 13 swine and sheep bursaries for $75, ensuring the lucky winners can buy their animal for next year.
Law noted that in the past, they’ve always come to the sale and bought cows, pigs and sheep.
“We’d take them to Rodier Meats and bring them back and showcase them for sale in the store with pictures of the kids who raised them,” he explained.
“Things changed with food safety regulations and we couldn’t do that anymore. We had to come up with another idea. The first year after Mad Cow we took our $2,500 and redid the showers for the kids at the stockyards.”
After that year, they came up with another idea to support the 4-H members.
Instead of one member getting $2,500 or $3,000 for an animal, Law said they decided to have random draws and give 16 kids money to buy their animal for next year.
Lee said it was great to see so many smiling faces from the 4-H members who won the bursaries.
“It was cool to walk around and talk to all these kids and see how engaged they are with their animal and how important it is to them. They’re all so polite and well-spoken.
“You can tell 4-H teaches them mature attributes.”
Law said Save-on-Foods had a connection with ranchers from the day the stores opened their doors.
“We even decorated our building with local ranch brands and both stores hold a salt sale for ranchers every year. This is a way to support the children of ranchers who may be ranchers themselves someday. It’s all a big circle.”
LeRae Haynes is a Williams Lake Tribune reporter.
