October is not only Breast Cancer Awareness month, but it also represents another color of pink, too. Beef.
In honor of ‘Beef Month,’ the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association will donate 400 pounds of beef to four high school family and consumer science programs in Franklin County Thursday morning.
“Donating beef has been a longstanding tradition for us,” said Orland Britnell, vice president of the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association. “When I joined the chapter in 1964, we did it a little different than we do now. Now, we talk to each teacher to find out what cuts of meat they would like.
“We are giving 100 pounds of locally raised beef to each program at Russellville High School, Phil Campbell High School, Red Bay High School and Belgreen High School.”
The Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association, founded in 1950, aims to provide beef and cattle education to its community. Donating beef is just one way the association serves the community.
Once the teachers receive the beef, it should be enough to supply their classrooms for the rest of the year. The beef will be already in the specific cuts of meat as requested by the teacher, packaged for freezing and appropriately labeled, ready for the teachers to store the meat until they need to use it.
“We are very excited about receiving the beef donation from the Cattlemen’s Association,” said Joslyn Garrison, who teachers the Family and Consumer Science program at Phil Campbell High School. “We do not receive a lot of funding for our program. This donation allows us to use meat. Since meat is so expensive, we would not be able to use it without the generous donation.
“I appreciate the Cattlemen’s association for their donation every year. The association does a lot for our schools.”
Garrison, who teaches grades 8-12, plans to use the meat to teach her students how to make spaghetti and stir fry recipes.
“We have continued to have this program every year because the teachers tell us how much it has benefited them,” said Britnell, who also served as president of the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association for four years and as Alabama Cattlemen’s Association president in 2008. “It means so much to them. If we didn’t provide it, the teachers wouldn’t have it. We want to continue to give back to our local schools.”
