Thursday, December 17, 2009

Mani dedicated to Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH)


















The antlers I am holding are called Shed Antler. Bucks shed their antlers in January and growth restarts in spring. Click for huge pictures.

















 The sun is out, but it's freezing!



































  Just look at my messy nail station!

















For those of you who do not believe that hunting has a valuable and important place in our modern society, I beg you to read on...
Readers, have you ever been hungry... not as in a couple of missed meals hungry, but truly hungry? The closest I've come was June 1981, while in my last month of (my first)  pregnancy. My first husband, Pete, used my whole $120.00 paycheck to throw a 4th of July party. The very next day, while I was at work,  Like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, he packed up everything useful (right down to the toothpaste and toilet paper), and left me to move in with some dancer. I am not exaggerating when I say that all that was left in my kitchen was a bag of yellow onions and a box of Red Rose Tea Bags.

I was devastated, scared and too embarrassed and proud to ask my boss for an advance on my pay so I could eat. Fortunately for me, I worked for a farmer packing zucchini and thankfully, one of my perks was being able to take some home. For a whole week, I ate boiled zucchini and onions, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was hungry, but not starving to death. I was pretty naive back then, and didn't know about services to help the needy.

Fast forward to the present, 2009, in the US, the land of plenty- hunger is at an all time 14 year high.
49 million people in the US are going hungry. 16.7 million are children.
Households with children experience food insecurity at almost double the rate for households without children.
Hunters Helping the Hungry  is an organized, non-profit corporation that works with food banks, enabling hunters to donate venison meat at little or no cost. http://www.huntershelpingthehungry.org/
In addition to helping the hungry, donations also address the overpopulation of White Tail Deer in NJ.

Conservative estimates say that, at present, there are 200,000 deer in NJ, compared to 100 years ago, when  there were practically none. Since wolves and coyotes were decimated years ago in NJ, there are no other natural predators, aside from humans, to balance out the food chain. Deer are the largest herbivore in this state. They are stressing the habitats of native wildlife, and introducing invasive, non-native plant life that is detrimentally changing our ecosystem.

This year, there were 1.5 million (reported) motor vehicle accidents, 22,498 (reported) injuries and 200 deaths due to collisions with deer. They are also the cause of 1.1 million dollars in vehicle damage and 1 million dollars in property damage.

I am not anti deer. In fact, aside from the birth of my 3 children, one of the most beautiful moments in my life involved deer. One day, a few years ago, a herd of doe crossed the road I was driving and jumped a fence on the other side. It literally took my breath away.
That said, I'd rather know that a deer died to feed the hungry rather than suffer diseases from overpopulation or suffering from motor vehicle injuries.

Mani details;
Base- 3 coats of my Franken, I Don't Iguana This
Stampings were made to replicate Real Tree Camoflague.
Konad plate-M66, Fauxnad plates; H23, H9 & H1, randomly stamped with colors I frankened
Orly Tip Guides.
To replicate Hunters Orange/International Orange, I layered China Glaze Orange Knockout over Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Whirlwind White
2 coats Seche

Stats from my local food bank
http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx?state=NJ

13 comments:

Heather said...

I am just blown away! I thought maybe you used a sticker or something for real tree camo.
I've never heard of HHH but I think that's cool. My husband is a sometimes hunter. He's stopped hunting deer but he stil hunts game bird. That helped a lot when I was out of work for a couple of month this year. And I live in a state that has a ridiculously high leve of food insecurity. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!

L said...

Awesome, awesome post.

EvilAngel said...

As someone who grew up in a food deprived community and houshold I can say that if it were not for the Hunters on the Reservation we surly would have starved to death.
I am not for Sport hunting however Hunting for food and use is the way we have survived for thousands of years. Not to mention that wild game is healthier and it tastes way better that store processed yuck yuck!

The mani is awesome and you totaly rock camo!

ainos2 said...

I knew that if anyone understood, you would, Andrea.
My husband is a Bow Hunter. He chose the bow over firearms because its roots are in ancient history as well as for his conscience. Deer are naturally over cautious, and one that has been taken with a bow has not been as cautious as it should have been- and the type to run out in a busy highway. He has contributed to our Food Bank in the past. A couple of years ago, he broke his ankle after stepping in a pot-hole, and is not comfortable climbing a tree-stand these days.
After showing him my mani and telling him that I was going to write about HHH, he was moved to contribute another way.
There is a butchering fee for donated venison. Whatever the HHH can't cover for deer taken by Bow for the Hunters that frequent my restaurant he is going to cover!

ainos2 said...

Thank you!
Aside from satisfying the hunger issue, all people should be aware of the indignities and cruelties that animals raised for butchering and the dinner plate go through. Not to mention whatever antibiotics, growth hormones and whatnots are injected and put in those creatures.

nihrida said...

Oh my... it's flashing before my eyes from reading this long-ish post white on black. =)
I'm really sorry you had to go through the stuff you described. I'm sure it made you stronger and who you are today...but still.
Yep, there's too many hungry people around the world. I'm not gonna blab about that, 'cause I've never been hungry.
I'm still against hunting and animal torturing of any kind. Food doesnt' mean just meat. In our country bread is THE food.
I still get you though.

Pinkginger said...

Awesome mani,awesome post :D

kelliegonzo said...

hey girl, i absolutely am behind you 100% regarding this post. you are so wonderful for bringing this wonderful cause to our attention. my family have hunted deer and birds for as long as i can remember and i learned at an early age to never take food for granted (which is maybe why i'm a little chubby these days HAHA). but seriously la la love you for posting this!!

your manicure is amaaaazing! i'm pretty sure my mom would die to have you do a camo look on her nails :D heather is totally spot on with her comment, i thought you used a foil or sticker or something, it looks perfect!

ainos2 said...

Hey sweetie! I lightened my background some...is it better?

I knew this would be a touchy subject for some. Based on the topics in your blog, I knew what your response would be....so thank you for "getting me"...it means the world to me.

Personally, I am not a meat eater. If I have red meat once a month- that's a lot. That said, I *know* that if the only thing I had to eat was red meat- I'd eat it.
I also now that even the most die-hard animal activist would eat meat rather than starve.

Back during WW2, the town that my mother lived in was exterminated. A bus rolled in promising jobs in Germany- all that entered the bus on 2 legs did not leave the bus upright. The only survivors of that town were my mother(Raisa,5)and her sister(Luba,9).  They were forced to flee the town when it was set ablaze. They escaped with their beloved dog, and had to eventually kill him and eat him to survive.

ainos2 said...

Thank you dear!

ainos2 said...

Given the subject matter of this mani, I guessed that I would not have very many responses.
It means a lot to me that you replied- thank you!

nihrida said...

You lightened it because of me?! You didn't have to, honey...I'd read your posts anyway. =)
I'm extreme animal lover and I didn't choose to be this way. I'm just so empathetic towards animals for my whole life. I already talked about my father and his ''Hunting Family''... it was hard for me to grow up surrounded with these stupid hunters who were killing just for the thrill of taking lives...
I feel like a hypocrite in a way. I never was hungry and I still eat meat...so.
Your post really did made me think. And I think you're kind of brave for posting it, you know. I still think that hunting is ''bad'', especially if there's no need to kill. But one never knows what one would do to stay alive.
I hope you and your loved ones will never find theirselves in such a terrible situation again. :*

makeupgirl21 said...

What a gorgeous manicure.  I agree totally with you.  I don't like animals suffering or people starving to death.  That's a good program for hunters to donate meat.  I'm so sorry that you had to go thru such a horrendous time.  I hope things are forever better for you.