Tel McBride donates steer for Senior Project
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Monday, March 7th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
IMBLER – Tel McBride, a Senior at Imbler High School took a unique route for his senior project. Tel decided to raise and subsequently donate the meat from a steer to benefit the local food bank.
Tel sat down with Elkhorn Media Group staff recently to discuss his project.
(EMG) Can you tell me why you decided to do this as your Senior Project?
(TM) I just thought this project would be a fun and easy one to do that could help out a lot of people that are in need of a good source of meat that can’t have access to it because of how expensive it is in the stores right now.
(EMG) Let’s talk more specifically about what your project is.
(TM) I have raised cattle for many years, and I had a steer that I wasn’t sure if I was going to sell or just butcher for my own family but that is when we started talking about Senior Projects. So, I decided that maybe I should just donate it, have the steer butchered and then donate the beef to help people in the community.
My family is pretty good on meat, we hunt, so it’s not like we needed the meat so it would be an easy and fun project to do that would help people in the community.
(EMG) How long have you been raising cattle?
(TM) This one was only about 15-months-old, but I have been raising cattle, steers, heifers, calves since I was about four or five.
(EMG) What is the process you had to go through in order for it to be donatable to the food bank?
(TM) I spoke with my cousin Audrey who works there [at the food bank] and asked her if this idea would be something she would be interested in we could find a way to complete it. She said, yes of course, that people always love beef, and it goes pretty quickly. So we got together and determined that I needed to go through Stafford’s in Elgin because they are USDA approved.
So I went through Stafford’s to go it butchered, made an appointment and everything and from then on it has been in Audrey’s hands.
(EMG) Do you have a total on how many pounds will be donated when fully complete?
(TM) I have not heard yet, it is still in progress.
(EMG) Is this something you would consider again in the future, what does your future look like?
(TM) When fall rolls around I will probably go work at the Ford dealership at a mechanic. I am more getting out of the cattle business right now, I work farm in La Grande for Austin Bingaman, I am focusing more on that right now, but in the future, I am planning on probably getting some cows back again and starting all over from scratch again like I have been doing for years
(EMG) Thanks Tel on a really cool and unique senior project.
Stay tuned, as we will have an update on the total amount of the donation when those numbers are available from Audrey at the Union County Senior Center and Regional Food Bank.
