There are a lot of opinions as to what to feed and how to feed it, but I'll tell you mine.
My dogs don't eat cooked food ever. That includes anything found in a bag or in kibble form. I've heard of some dogs not being able to tolerate certain raw ingredients, but I've never heard of one that didn't do well on some raw meat or another. My dogs also never get fruit, or grains like wheat or rice. In my experience, grains make them gassy, and gas is a sign of digestive issues. Some people do feed grains, though. My dogs' diet usually consists of probably 80-90% meat, bone, organs, and connective tissue, with the remaining 10-20% being supplemental foods like eggs, the occasional liquified veggies, rarely some dairy like yogurt, straight vitamins and nutritional supplements (but only when needed), bone meal, some sugar-free peanut butter in their Kongs, and various other bits and pieces. They all fast one day a week with only water and just a smidge of liquified veggies to keep their tummies quiet. Some people feed a "primitive" raw diet, consisting entirely of meat, bones, and organs.
I work loosely with a man who knows more about canine nutrition than anyone has any right to know, and I agree with his determination that the key to a dog's health is a varied diet. My dogs never get bored with their food, because at different times they have different tissues from different animals.
I would absolutely take advantage of whatever meat your friend brings you, but I would have it tested for dangerous prions before I gave it to my dogs. Don't butcher it too hard, though. I'd have it skinned, but otherwise let them pick and choose what they want.
Price isn't something that worries me. You could pay an extra 80 cents per pound for healthier food now and avoid a $9,000 surgery in the future due to bone and muscle tissue degeneration. In my opinion, it's cheaper in the long run to feed your dogs something they can digest and get nutrition from. In my training career, I can say with complete confidence that dogs who eat raw have fewer behavioral problems, are more able to learn and adapt, and are emotionally better adjusted than their kibble-eating counterparts. (It makes sense; if you ate "Peeps" three meals a day for your whole life, you'd probably have some problems too!) So you don't just save on vet bills, you save on training costs. You keep friends because your dogs don't fart or have that "doggy smell". Their fur also looks and feels better. But the real reason I do it is because I really care about my dogs' comfort and happiness. A meal of kibble can stay in a dog's digestive system for 10 hours while his intestines try to process it; a meal of raw meat is digested and usually passed in less than 5 hours.
So I think: Go for it!!! The general rule is to feed 2% of your dog's body weight a day, then adjust the amount as the dog's needs become clear. So good luck! You can always PM me if questions come up. I'm not an expert, but I can tell you what I've learned through experience.