Bedford County’s "Canning for a Cause" wins VACO achievement award

Bedford County Board of Supervisors members on Oct. 14 accepted a presentation recognizing the county’s Canning for a Cause program with a Virginia Association of Counties (VACO) Achievement Award.

The award highlights the county’s partnership with the Bedford Community Health Foundation, Hunters for the Hungry, Virginia Cooperative Extension and county staff to convert donated venison into ready-to-eat canned meals distributed to local food banks.

VACO Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Jeremy Bennett told the board the program was selected from 155 entries across the Commonwealth and is Bedford County’s first VACO achievement award. Bennett said judges look for innovation, intergovernmental cooperation and programs that can be models for other localities.

Denny Huff of the Bedford Community Health Foundation described the project’s genesis: the foundation funded Hunters for the Hungry, which provides venison to food banks in raw form, but local leaders wanted a shelf-stable prepared product for residents who cannot or will not prepare raw meat. The program developed USDA‑approved recipes with Virginia Cooperative Extension for low‑sodium, preservative‑free stews and chilis that volunteers process at the county cannery.

Gary Arrington with Hunters for the Hungry said the program has produced more than 1,500 quarts of venison stew and expanded to venison chili, feeding local programs that serve veterans, families and people experiencing food insecurity. Arrington said the county cannery, county staff and cooperative extension were critical to the project’s success.

Bennett said the award will be posted on VACO’s website and highlighted at the association’s annual conference.

The board thanked program partners for the award and invited participants for a photo with the county and town council representatives.

The presentation was informational; no board action was required.