Local

The 75-plus families who benefit from the local food bank can thank three Bonners Ferry residents for providing the meat they might not otherwise get.

Mike “Roadkill” Howe; his wife, Ronnie; and Ronnie's brother, Terry Mullin, since 2000 have salvaged the meat from more than 200 dead elk, moose and deer. No matter what the hour, if game officials or police have a fresh road or train-kill in Boundary County, the trio responds.

The volunteer effort involves retrieving and gutting each animal, which Mike Howe then skins and butchers from his one-car garage at the couple's home on Van Buren Street.

Then, they take the meat to South Hill Meat & Locker in Bonners Ferry or John Alt in Paradise Valley. The meat is ground into burger and returned to the Howes for wrapping before donating it to the food bank.

“It's just amazing,” said Christine Villanueva, service coordinator for Community Action Partnership's food bank in Bonners Ferry. “It's a lot to ask of someone, but it's pretty cool. We could not put meat in food boxes without them.”

Villanueva estimates they donate about 1,000 pounds of meat annually.

“We know there's a lot of needy people that need food,” said Ronnie Howe, 51.

“The food bank hasn't run out of food all winter,” added Mike Howe, 50.

Ronnie Howe learned about the need for this service while working as a dispatcher for Boundary County Sheriff's Office. She asked her brother to help. A few years later, Ronnie Howe met Mike Howe, and he joined.

They have permission from Idaho Department of Fish and Game to retrieve the dead animals. Fish and Game and the sheriff's office calls them 24-7 - anytime an animal is hit. The Howes and Mullin attempt to be there within four hours after an animal's death.

“Some are in nasty spots and blind spots, where we could be hit,” Mike Howe said.

For the current winter, they have salvaged 18 moose, 18 elk and countless deer. Last winter, they say it was closer to 30 moose and 30 elk.

“We've been butchering every week,” said Mike Howe, who works in the automotive department for Walmart in Ponderay.

The food bank receives a few thousand dollars annually in government funding, but relies mostly on donations, Villanueva said. Safeway donates bread, milk, and other dairy products for a weekly perishable items program.

The food bank also provides items to 75 families on a monthly basis.

“The food bank is very limited,” she said. “It would be astronomical to be able to provide meat in all our food boxes.”

The Howes and Mullin pay for all the supplies and use their own vehicles. They spent about $400 to $500 for gas this winter and $100 to $200 for paper and bags to wrap meat for freezing.

And because Mike Howe works for Walmart, there's another benefit. Because he is a community volunteer, Walmart donates $250 twice a year in his name to the food bank.

“Last year they gave us an extra $1,000,” Mike Howe said.

When Ronnie Howe, who is on disability, worked in the fabric department for Walmart, employees participated in a quilt raffle that raised $700 for the food bank.

The Howes also donated food from Walmart during January's Fill the Bus Day in Bonners Ferry.

“Mike grows a huge garden in the backyard every summer,” his wife said. “What we don't use or give to family and friends, we give to the food bank.”

Walmart also gives time off to Mike Howe when he's needed to retrieve an animal. Mullin, a 52-year-old bus mechanic for Boundary County School District, also gets time off when needed.

The trio is in need of an extra truck or extra volunteer driver. If interested, they can be reached at 267-4494.