News Release

Deb Treesh

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — “Let’s ‘Meat’” is the theme for the 2023 Kosciusko County Extension annual meeting. This year’s event will be at 6 p.m. Monday, March 27, at the Maple Leaf Farms corporate office, 101 E. West Church St., Leesburg.

The evening will include food, fellowship, extension news, announcement of the Extension All Starts and “Heart of 4-H” recognition.

Deb Treesh, executive director of “Hoosiers Feeding The Hungry” is the guest speaker. Learn how “Hoosiers” is bringing protein to Indiana tables and how Kosciusko County 4-H’ers contribute.

Treesh is a native of Fort Wayne and a graduate of Wayne High School. She and her husband, Doug, have four children and reside in Corunna.

As executive director, Treesh develops and implements budgets, works closely with the board of directors, serves as public relations director and leads in all daily operations. She has also served on the board of directors for the Community Harvest Food Bank for the past 17 years.

Treesh began building a foundation nonprofit experience in 2005, serving as the lead volunteer for Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry.

Under her management, Indiana became the highest ranking chapter for growth and productivity in the United States. She built on this foundation to begin a new venture.

The new undertaking began with a donation to the Community Harvest Food Bank. Treesh learned meat donations were greatly needed and the most difficult to procure.

In 2011, the mission to provide nutritious meat to Indiana’s families was set in motion. Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry literally began within the walls of the Treesh home.

Her vision to create a healthier Indiana started with hard work and determination, one employee and 16 meat processors that covered a nine-county territory. Eleven years later, there are four employees, an office in Garrett, and 88 meat processors located throughout the state of Indiana that cover a 58-county territory.

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry uses local resources, local people and local services to provide meat to hunger relief agencies throughout Indiana. In the first year, most donations were venison. With time, other food animal donations grew from 14,947 pounds to a record 202,574 pounds. Five hundred agencies now receive an average of 44,790 pounds of venison and 108,857 pounds of food animal meat each year.

Over a 10-year span, donations have provided over 6,154,759 high protein meals to needy families.

Its mission is “making a positive impact on the quality of life for Hoosiers by providing nutritious meat (protein) to hunger relief agencies within Indiana … One Pound at a Time.”

The agency’s vision is to “ensure all Hoosier have access to good quality, nutritious meat (protein) — creating a stronger, healthier Indiana.”

The cost is $10 per person, payable at the door. Reservations need to be made by Wednesday, March 22, by calling (574) 372-2340.