A 400-pound black bear was more than the Fort Bragg Food Bank could reckon with Friday.
But that was the donation of meat from the Department of Fish and Game, which periodically kills animals that have become threats to human safety or property. The arrival of the dead bear brought a crowd of spectators, including Suzanne Brodur, who wasn”t sure if the animal was a big one or not.
“The only time I had seen a bear prior to Friday was on TV,” she said.
The big brownish creature was reportedly killed somewhere east of Mendocino. Gary Combes, the warden who brought in the donation, wasn”t available to provide details at presstime.
Fish and Game donations are a prime source of food for local charities, as the agency seeks not to waste food that is confiscated or shot.
Richard Masengill volunteered to come down and skin the bear, which weighed about 400 pounds. But the Food Bank couldn”t legally give the meat to clients because food must meet certain certification standards, explained Nancy Severy, head of the Food Bank.
Bob Beck, warehouse manager at the Food Bank on Franklin Street, said the bear meat was instead offered to volunteers of the program, which number about 30 people.
“But we gave it to them as volunteers, not as clients,” Severy said.
Beck said DFG provides crucial donations to the Food Bank, such as the abalone that provides for the agency”s biggest annual fund-raiser. DFG brought a deer last year, which also was given to volunteers, but this was the first bear ever, Beck said.
The agency actually needs more gifts of traditional foods.
“Don”t bring us your bears, bring us your fruits and vegetables,” said Severy.
