HEIFER INTERNATIONAL TO FARMERS: HAVE A COW

Give a man a steak, and you feed him for a day; give a man a cow, and you feed him for life? I’m paraphrasing, of course, but that’s pretty much the principle upon which Heifer International was founded, and the means by which this wonderful project feeds families the world over.

Heifer ‘s (live)stock in trade is a kind of microloan that you can milk. This anti-hunger initiative was the inspiration of Dan West, a relief worker and Midwestern farmer who had an epiphany back in 1944 while doling out cups of milk to hungry children. It dawned on West, faced with a surplus of kids and a shortage of milk, that “…these children don’t need a cup, they need a cow.”

Happily, West’s flash of inspiration was no flash in the milking pan; founded in 1944 as Heifers for Relief, the organization has evolved, over 60-odd years, into a powerhouse non-profit that’s nourished 7million people in more than 125 countries.

Credit Heifer’s “passing on the gift” concept for creating this impressive and inspiring achievement. A gift of a heifer is a gift that literally keeps on giving, as the calves mature and give birth to the next generation of heifers. This cycle of giving transforms recipients into givers, as they share the offspring with others in need.

Of course, in order for Heifer to keep feeding the needy, the not-so-needy need to feed Heifer’s coffers, which is why Organic Valley hosted an “Earth Dinner” fundraiser for Heifer at Manhattan’s Prince George Ballroom last night.

It was a swanky setting for a sustainable gala, and the food was naturally all-natural, i.e. organic and/or local, and lovingly prepared. The speakers, who included Organic Valley farmer Travis Forgues and the goddess of GRUB, food activist and author Anna Lappé, sang Heifer’s praises while we savored delicious chicken pot pies courtesy of the Cleaver Company, whose founder, Mary Cleaver, is a proud pioneer in the growing field of sustainable, socially conscious catering. As a bonus, the Cleaver Company created a heifer-shaped cookie cutter, a goody to give all the do-gooders in attendance.

As Anna Lappé wryly noted, Heifer is anything but a cookie-cutter kind of operation. From Appalachia to Zambia, Heifer tailors its projects to meet local needs and provide individuals with the resources to create self-reliant, sustainable communities.

Last night’s fundraiser focused on Heifer’s support for America’s family farmers, who’ve been all but plowed under while industrial agriculture and suburban sprawl deplete our soils and our souls. Sustain the family farms, and the family farms will sustain us.

Kind of a folksy message for a fancy fete, but that’s just the point, isn’t it? It takes a farmer to put food on your plate, whether your place settings are secondhand or Haviland.

And, in our case, it took our generous friend Claire, who shares Heifer’s “passing on the gift” philosophy, to give us entrée to the Earth Dinner. Unable to attend, she insisted on buying us tickets to go in her stead. Talk about passing on the gift! Thanks, Claire. I saved you a heifer-shaped cookie cutter.