At Urban American Outdoors (UAO), one of our primary goals is to give back via community outreach programs. UAO is an award winning, and locally owned and produced outdoors reality sports adventure show that airs on Time Warner Cables’ “Metro Sports” channel in Kansas City, and nationally on various affiliates.
When UAO was originally conceived six years ago it was mainly going to be a regional outdoors program, but it has evolved into much more than that. The show was viewed by several broadcast professionals before the launch and they were blown away by the quality, content and African American host Wayne Hubbard. Wayne Hubbard is an avid outdoorsman who watched many of these outdoors shows but never quite felt represented by these 500+ programs so he embarked on making his own injected with his own personal style. Afterwards, the program was picked up across the country.
Urban American Outdoors has attracted a cross section of viewers from tradition outdoorsmen, African Americans, women and the hip hop generation. The format of the program shows the outdoors from a different perspective, with the background music being a little jazz, R&B and hip hop. We show safety tips, conservation, cultural and historical points of the location. There are segments showing the hunt of the day or catching fish but we always show how to prepare a nutritious meal after we harvest the wild game or fish. What we don’t eat ourselves we always donate to families, food pantries, the elderly or churches.
We once donated to a national organization called, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, but are now in the process of creating our own “feeding the hungry” program to have more control over who actually gets the much needed food.
Today in American there are unbelievably millions who go hungry everyday. On many of our show we encourage other outdoorsmen and women to donate what they don’t eat themselves to others and food pantries. We recently partnered with the local Kansas City Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization for a youth hunt. It was a very successful day for these at risk kids, for nine out of the ten were able to harvest a deer which next was processed and then they were able to put food on their own table for the entire winter. Their families were all very proud and grateful. Over this past year we have harvested and donated over 4,000 pounds of food.
We are in the process of harvesting two bison. This will provide up to 5,000 meals by itself. Bison is one of the healthiest meats on the market today. It is lean, high in protein, low in fat and cholesterol. The American Heart Association has included Bison in their lean meat guidelines. It has a taste similar to beef.
Canned goods are great but bison meat for many is better. Wayne Hubbard also has plans to get more at risk kids involve with outdoors teaching conservation, stewardship, media entrepreneurship. This gets children fresh air, physical exercise, and opens their minds to new positive ways of future endeavors.