Goose Meat Used By Metro Caring To Help Feed Hungry Families
DENVER (CBS4)- Metro Caring received goose meat from the USDA this week as part of a program involving Denver Parks and Recreation. The plan was designed to decrease the population of the birds and use that processed meat to support local food banks.
"Protein is one of our biggest needs in our market," said Tommy Crosby, the Food Access Team Lead at Metro Caring. "We really have an emphasis on having a variety of food in our market."
The nonprofit accepts meat donations that are up to USDA guidelines so when they learned this source of protein could come into their market, they accepted the donation. People can make an appointment without demonstrating their need and visit the food bank that has a layout similar to a grocery store. Visitors can select the items they want to take home.
"Great, we are going to be able to add to the different variety of meat we have at the market," Crosby said when he learned about the geese donations.
Meat is one of the more expensive items in the market so it is more of a challenge for the food bank to stock that kind of protein.
"They were surprised we had goose," Crosby said. "Some folks get excited because they have cooked with it. Some have never cooked with it."
The geese were processed and sent to Metro Caring as ground meat. To help anyone looking to use the geese at home, Chef Robert Russell helped to create dishes using ingredients available in the market. He suggested Shepard's pie or chili for the goose meat.
"I've cooked about everything, I've cooked goose in South Africa," Russell said. "It should be braised with a little bit of oil."
The recent donation is just a reminder of the ongoing need for donations at Metro Caring. Not just for protein but also produce. Crosby says the summer months create a new opportunity for people to give any fruits and vegetables they do not need.
"This is an exciting time of the year as we are able to accept a lot of food from people's gardens."
Metro Caring is located at 1100 E. 18th Ave. in Denver. They are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. People are invited to come by and donate food and visit https://www.metrocaring.org/ to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
