Welcome Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry!
Forest Feeding Families is excited to share we are now partnering with Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry in Aurora, IL to provide meals and much needed protein the community. We had the pleasure of donating 150lbs of venison to the team and touring their facility. Talk about a great group of people who go above and beyond to serve the community! What an AWESOME team! We can’t wait to work them all more in 2025!
CHECK OUT OUR 2024 END OF YEAR UPDATE
Big Donation ahead of the Thanksgiving Season!
Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is a month away! That means many of our neighbors will need our help in celebrating the season. Our team was able to deliver 800 pounds of venison - almost 3200 meals - to DuPage Township Food Pantry this week!
THANK YOU to McBee Meats and the local hunters there for the generous donation! We appreciate you all and for helping our community!
*It was so much vension we had to put it in contractor bags with dry ice inside! 800lbs is a lot!
F3 Team Completes Some Final Touches for the Season!
Larry, Chris, and Nick headed to Michigan to finalize last minute preparations for the upcoming season. There are always things to do! Not always optimal to perform ladder stand assembly in the field…but you do what you gotta do! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE THIS SEASON!
F3 Partnership with the
Woodhaven Community
The residents of the Woodhaven Community, outside Amboy, IL, are working on a solution with the USDA-APHIS (Animal Plant Health Inspection Service), the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and local landowners to provide a solution to their every increasing overpopulation of whitetail deer. Woodhaven has seen devastating habitat loss, as a direct result of the dramatic overpopulation, that is affecting the landscape and health of their deer herd and other animals in the ecosystem. Director Greg Dimmig, reached out to the Forest Feeding Families ambassador team, and we are now collaborating on a plan to ensure the herd reduction will provide much needed meals for families in Illinois communities.
Recently, our President, Nick Karabatsos, attended the public hearing to discuss the reduction plan in the effort to educate the community of the effects of overpopulation and how the plan with benefit the deer health, habitat for all species, improve the landscape, and provide meals for families in need. Nick spoke about the role of F3 and our mission and impact. Thank you, Greg, and the Woodhaven Community, for the opportunity and we look forward to working with you all.
Stayed tuned for more information on progress throughout the year!
Huntworx TV in cooperation with McBee Meat Company supported Forest Feeding Families this past season!!
Huntworx is a hunting and land management organization that has reached national outlets and airs episodes on the Sportsman Channel. They are diligent and passionate about conservation, deer and land management. Through their harvesting efforts to maintain good deer management on their properties, and with amazing support of an outstanding, family-owned processing company, McBee Meat Company, they donated 30 deer to help feed people in our community. Amazing! Thank you to Greg and Steven and their teams for all their support. If you want to learn more about these two great organizations check out the links below. Thanks again!
F3 Ambassador Program
The Ambassador program is crucial to our success. Listen
to our Lead Ambassador Jon Polcyn share his perspective
on the program and how YOU can help
Forest Feeding Families and support our Mission…
F3 Interview (youtube.com)
2023-2024 Season Recap - WE are growing!
Forest Feeding Families Founder, Nick Karabatsos, shares some thoughts on what a successful season we had last year
We are building infastructure to support our growth to help more people in need - if you have the means to donate please consider - 501c3 tax deductible and your employer can match!
The season never ends - Larry and the F3 team working this Summer in preparation for this Fall in Michigan!
Preparation is the foundation for success. This pring we were able to get hunting blinds moved, tree stands hung, seed drilled in the ground, and final preparations made for the upcoming 2024 season in Wisconsin. Always a great time to be out with nature and a great group of guys who are passionate about F3 and helping our communities!
New Partnership!
New Partnership!
We are very excited to announce our new partnership with WE CARE food pantry of Grundy County, IL! Eric Fisher, the Executive Directory, and our Forest Feeding Families Lead Ambassador, Jon Polcyn, got together and we made our first official donation. Thank you, Eric, for all you and your team do to help the people of Grundy County. We look forward to working with you! Learn more about WE CARE at We Care of Grundy County
600+ pounds of MUCH NEEDED protein donated!
Repeat Donor Alert!!!
Jim Green from Darien, IL has been a good friend and supporter of F3. Not suprisingly, Jim was accurate with his crossbow again this year and punched his Illinois buck tag on a giant 8 point buck - over 240 lbs! This is the third year Jim has reached out to us and offered a donation….and he says the season isn’t over yet! Thank you, Jim. We wish you continued success and we are all very appreciative of your support of our mission!
Another “Midwest Outdoors Tip”
Our dear friends and supporters at Midwest Outdoors continue to use the F3 team to share new information and “tips” to its viewers to improve their time in the woods. Check out our President, Nick Karabatsos, sharing a “Midwest Outdoors Tip” on the Midwest Outdoors TV platform. That day, and that weekend, were a lot of fun!
Tips of the Week Ep. 1969 - YouTube
If you want to learn more about Midwest Outdoors check them out at MIDWEST OUTDOORS TV SHOW | MidWest Outdoors Video Archives
We LOVE to see kids embracing the need to help others!
Hunter Polcyn and his Dad, Jon Polcyn, hit the woods this year for the Illinois Youth Season. Before the hunt, Hunter told his Dad he wanted to help others and share his harvest if he “got lucky.” Well, it was certainly more skill thank luck, as Hunter was able to harvest a doe and a buck during the long weekend! Congrats, Hunter!! In the end, Forest Feeding Families received 80lbs of venison to donate to DuPage Township Food Pantry…very generous of you, Hunter. Many people thank you and your big heart. Good luck the rest of the season!
Landowners want to improve their deer health and help people with food insecurity….
Jim and Brian are land-owners in Berrien County, MI, who are very active in community based non-profit organizations. Over time, they realized that the deer on their property were extremely overpopulated. The result has been significant crop damage and a negative impact to the habitat for other wildlife. Jim and Brian heard about Forest Feeding Families, learned our mission, and knew it was great opportunity for a “win-win” relationship.
We officially signed a lease agreement between both parties to achieve a balanced deer population, improve the habitat for all wildlife, and feed families in need. Thank you, Jim and Brian, for passion for conservation and supporting local communities! We look forward to a great partnership and friendship!
Midwest Outdoors put F3 on TV!…what were they thinking!
Check out a clip from our first official TV episode! Check out the link below for the full show.
PLEASE…if you know of someone who would like to help us in our mission please share our site!
If you want to watch the entire episode (7 min long) you can click the link below…you can see one our board members turned TV star, Chris Niedhammer, on a successful hunt!
Hunting for Charity - YouTube
Midwest Outdoors and Forest Feeding Families reconnect again!
The Forest Feeding Families team had the absolute privilege to host the Midwest Outdoors (MO) team on a Wisconsin Turkey Hunt. The MO crew of Larry, Seth, and Tim are the best of the best, salt of the earth guys. We are honored they chose to spend the weekend with us and continue to learn more about our mission and offer their support. We got REALLY close on a couple of big Toms and had some good action…but the turkeys just didnt cooperate this trip. Turkey or no turkey, we had a blast!! Take a moment to check them out at MidWest Outdoors- The #1 Outdoors Magazine in the Midwest Since 1967!
If you are in the market for new hunting clothes and quality with affordability is important to you…check out the Huntworth line of hunting apparel. You won’t be disappointed! Check ‘em out: Hunting Clothing – Performance Hunting Apparel – Huntworth Gear
Check out some great pics below!
Spring is the time to start maintaining and relocating your deer stands. Its a great opportunity to work when the temperatures are cool and foliage is still light. The F3 team took the opportunity and hit our Michigan lease. We are so excited for this season!
2022 - WHAT A YEAR!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Because of the efforts and generosity of the everyone who supports Forest Feeding Families, 8,500 individual meals were eaten! And many were by children. These meals were because of our donations. Now that is making a difference! Incredibly grateful…
New Partnership to Help More Communities!
Forest Feeding Families is very grateful for the opportunity to share donations with the Kendall County Community Food Pantry in Yorkville, IL. Nick was able to meet and discuss the opportunity to collaborate with Executive Director Suzanne Stegeman. The end result was over 100lbs of venison now readily available for families in Kendall County. Sincere thank you to Suzanne, Jeff, and the entire team for all you do every day. If you want to donate or see how you can help support Kendall County Community Food pantry, check them out at Get Involved - Kendall County Community Food Pantry (kccfoodpantry.org) or on Facebook at Kendall County Community Food Pantry - Home | Facebook
Fort Knox Deer Camp makes a “Doe-Nation”
Hard Knox Deer Camp is in Central Illinois. Sam and Lew, the originators of the camp, decided to hold their first annual “Doe-Nation”. Same and Lew recognized that they had a deer population and know the importance of a healthy deer herd on their farm. The also valued the opportunity to help families in need. After some ups and downs, as most hunting weekends hold, they donated 3 deer to Forest Feeding Families. Huge thank you to the Fort Knox crew:
Lew Carrozza, Sam Carrozza, Ron Cervetti, Brian Halbleib, Mike Lorek, Alex Salisbury, Eli and Todd Terry
Elkins Taxidermy makes a generous donation!
Dale Elkins is the owner of Elkins Taxidermy and Deer Processing. Every year they give generous donations to their community in and around New Carlisle, IN. They process numerous deer for hunters in Indiana and Michigan and are very popular for the great work they do. Dale and team learned about our mission and wanted to help. The Elkins team made a 400 pound venison donation to Forest Feeding Families…our largest yet!
Thank you, Dale and team. If you hunt in the area or have a trophy you want mounted by a trusted expert, give them a call: (574) 654-8845. Or visit their website at Deer Processing | Elkins Taxidermy | United States
Midwest Outdoors TV films F3!
The Midwest Outdoors team spent a few days with Forest Feeding Families learning about our Mission, our team, and joining us for some time in the field. Special thank you to Larry and Seth for filming us for an upcoming episode on their TV show to help us spread awareness of how we are helping the community and promoting healthy deer management. We had a blast! Midwest Outdoors is a great organization and great group of people! If you haven’t yet, check them out and subscribe at Homepage - MidWest Outdoors
The episode is tentatively scheduled to air in the early Fall of this year. Stay tuned for times and dates to come!!
Another much needed donation to DuPage Township Food Pantry…we are making a difference!
The folks at DuPage are passionate about helping the people DuPage County, IL. If you live in the area and you want to learn more about them or how you can help. Check them out at:
DuPage Township – Welcome to DuPage Township IL
and on Facebook (you will see F3 mentioned!):
F3 featured in MidWest Outdoors Magazine!
Special thanks to Larry Ladwoski and the Midwest Outdoors team for featuring Forest Feeding Families in their September-October, Fall issue! The entire team at Midwest Outdoors is very passionate about supporting the communities they serve. We appreciate you allowing us to share the great work our team is doing. Check us out on page 64 of the Illinois edition!
Stay tuned! There just might be some more things in the works with Midwest Outdoors… (hint, hint)
Dave’s Meat Market has been a great partner and friend to Forest Feeding Families. They continue to spread the word about our mission to help recruit hunters. Thank you, Ethan and Aiden! Thank you for caring so much about our community and helping others…we need more guys like you two!
If you are looking for good place to process your deer that offers all kinds of specialty options, or you want a meat market with some fantastic cuts give them a call and check them out online: Dave's Meat Market - Fish and Meat Market - Yorkville, Illinois (getdavesmeat.com)
Donations are coming in!
We are off to a great start! 200 pounds donated to date! This donation made by one our Board Members, Larry Quinn. Thank you, Larry! The need is growing…and we have a lot more being processed!
Sweat Equity! F3 Team preparing for season!
f
The 2022 season is finally here! We are off to a great start!
The 2022 hunting season is here. This brings a new opportunity to help our community and support wildlife management. We are excited! F3 has already donated 100lbs to DuPage Township Food pantry this past week. Thank you to Chuck Leucht and Ryan Wolters for your donations! We appreciate your support.
Listen to a message below from our President, Nick Karabatsos, as we start the new season. Also, listen to Nick, a member of the DuPage Township food pantry on the impact our donations are making.
NEW PARTNERSHIP!
We are excited to announce that we are now partners with Outlast, a leader in the cooler industry with an additional specialty in ceramic grills. As part of Team Outlastlife, F3 will share the benefit of using Outlast Life products as we work toward our mission. Check out the collaboration at Team Outlastlife - Outlastlife.
F3 is now a member of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Advisory Board!
Forest Feeding Families (F3) was asked to be part of the ILDNR advisory committee to help build a state-wide venison donation program! As the President of F3, Nick will attend monthly virtual meetings with the group. This committee includes representatives from: IL DNR, Governors Office of Agricultural Affairs, the University of IL, Feeding Illinois executive team, among others. Goal is to build a sustainable program to provide venison to families in need and educate the public about deer management…sounds a bit like our Mission! The committee was extremely complimentary about our success and requested we give a presentation highlighting our efforts - it was very well received!! We are very excited to be part of this team and to help achieve its goals!
150 more meals delivered!
At F3, we consider a pound of organic venison a meal. It is the foundation of a well balanced, nutritious plate of food full of healthy protein that kids need. Actually, we all need! The F3 team and its supporters stepped up again and delivered 150 pounds of venison. We are closing in on 500 meals in people homes! With the weather turning cold and the COVID wave continuing to impact families, these meals have gone a long way to support those in need.
Miranda and Samuel volunteering at DuPage Pantry to help the community…thanks, you two!
Happy New Year…and THANKS!
All of us at F3 want to wish you and your families a very happy and safe 2022! We are certainly in unprecedented times and hope we get back to “normal” soon!
We CANNOT thank everyone enough for all your support, donations, well wishes and help over the last year. We are just getting started and hope to bring bigger and better things to carry on our mission…but without all you, would never have gotten to where we are today... or were we hope to be tomorrow. So thankful! God Bless all of you. Thanks…..
Hunters making a difference in our community
Jim Green, in Darien, IL, provided F3 with 60 pounds of venison to our mission! 60 meals will go a long way! Jim, is an avid bowhunter and conservationist. He found us after researching on his own how he could help families through donating venison. Our friends with the IL DNR HEAT program connected us (thank you, Caitlin). Great to have Jim as a partner and friend of Forest Feeding Families. Thank you, Jim!
300lbs Delivered!!
We are making progress! Very proud of the F3 team and all its friends and supporters. Thank you!
People volunteering to make a difference for some else…
Join me in thanking, Chris, at DuPage Township Food Pantry!
Great event sponored by the IL DNR Community Outreach Programs on Dec 16th in Aurora, IL
If you want to improve your archery skills or want to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow…check out the link below.
Free Archery Demonstration Registration, Thu, Dec 16, 2021 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite
Deer Firearms season comes to a close in WI, MI, IL and IN.
Our F3 Team was out in full force!
The Niedhammer group out in WI.
Our friend Randy and his daughter Morgan spending some quality time together in the outdoors
Donation #2!!
November 19th, 2021
More Venison donated to DuPage Township Food Pantry. They are such an awesome staff and team. Their enthusiasm for helping people and our community is contagious. They always have a smile on their face every time we show up :)!
This donation puts us at close to 200lbs…that is 200 meals for people in need. We are getting closer to our goal of 1,000lbs. With the firearms season now here in Indiana and Michigan, Wisconsin starting this Saturday Nov 20th , and Illinois soon…we hope for more donations with more Hunters getting out in the woods. Good luck everyone!
Thank you, all, for your support. More updates coming soon….
Nick
Delivery #2…
Volunteers hard at work making a difference…
Hello Everyone!
Oct 31, 2021
We are officially underway! The 2021 Deer Season is in full swing. The Archery season is at its peak with the firearms season fast approaching in many states. Recently, the F3 team, lead by Larry, was able to deliver 100lbs of venison to the Dupage Township Food Pantry in Romeoville, Ill. That was our first deliver of the season! A few days after the delivery, Dave Locke, the Director of DuPage Food Pantry, texted me. He shared that in one weekend they had 75 clients. That is a lot of families in need. The good news is all the venison was gone after that weekend! 100 meals to families in need. Dave is asking for more! More good news, we have 150lbs waiting to deliver soon. See the pics below from Larry’s delivery.
Lastly, sincere thank you to all that have donated in recent weeks. Your support allows to pay for the processing that allows this mission to work. Thank you all so much.
Nick
