SANDPOINT — It was an otherwise ordinary day when the Sandpoint Senior Center got the call.

It was, Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc.'s Lisa Bond said, filled with news that couldn't have come at a better time. The news? Co-Op Gas and Supply wanted to donate a steer and a lamb to the senior center to use for its meals.

"(We were) overwhelmed by Co-Op Gas and Supply's generous donation," the center's development director said.

The steer was raised by Cody Warwick, who'd bought it from M&W Shorthorns for his 2024 4-H project. Warwick, a member of Baldy’s Colored Calvary 4-H Club in Sandpoint, had raised the shorthorn Angus crossbred steer, named Red, and the 1,160-pound steer was bought by Co-Op as a part of the Market Animal Sale, Bond said.

As part of the market animal sale, 4-H youth raise everything from chickens and ducks to sheep, pigs, and steers. For the steers, the animals are about six months old when they are purchased and are about 18 months old when they are sold at the sale. In between, there is a lot of hard work, getting the animal ready, ensuring it puts on healthy weight, and learning to walk on a lead.

While it can be hard, 4-H'ers say taking part in the sale is the reward for all of the hard work. They appreciate all of the businesses like Co-Op Gas and Supply, that come out and are so generous with the purchases of their animals.

It isn't uncommon for a business to donate the animal to a local nonprofit to continue the positivity. And that's what happened here with Co-Op purchasing the steer and a lamb and donating the meat to the Sandpoint Senior Center for its meal program.

"A hearty thank you to Cody Warwick and George Haley, Manager at Co-Op Gas and Supply and Wood’s Meat Processing, for processing the steer and the lamb," Bond said.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Sandpoint center gave nearly 200 pounds of the meat to the Clark Fork Senior and Community Center to assist them with their meal program, Bond said.

For the Co-Op and the community to think of the senior center and to remember them with such a generous gift is deeply appreciated, Bond said.

 "Amidst the challenges of rising food costs, this significant donation will serve as a beacon of hope for the Sandpoint and Clark Fork area seniors, providing much-needed support for our meal programs," she said.