Feeding the hungry

People may not realize it, but hunting is good for everybody. Not only do the hunters keep Heard populations down, they also feed their families, but so much of the deer that are taken in this country are donated to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries all over the country.

Sometimes hunters are viewed as only trophy hunting, meaning that they only want a deer with a big rack. Sadly sometimes this is true, but the majority of the time isn’t.  When it is the case majority of those hunters donate that venison to organizations that help the less fortunate.

I know a few processing places that donate meat to churches and other organizations that help feed those in need.

A few of the best organizations that are helping feed those less fortunate are Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH.org), Hunters For The Hungry (hfth.NRA.org), and Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH.org). Through the efforts of these organizations hundreds of thousands of tons of venison is donated to different charities all around the country.

Take Pennsylvania for example. Through the 2016 2017 hunting season a group called hunters sharing the harvest donated 2947 deer which equates to 120,551 pounds of fresh venison which then turns into 589,400 servings. And take a look at Maryland. Since 1997 hunters And formers have donated over 600 tons of venison. That comes out to over 4.8 million meals being served to the less fortunate. Since 2001 farmers and hunters feeding the hungry has donated 920,000 pounds of fresh venison. In Iowa last year hunters donated 3000 deer, which works out to over 600,000 meals.In Missouri in 2014, 3961 hunters donated over 212,443 pounds of venison.At one food bank in Indianapolis, Gleaners food bank,over 4800 pounds of deer was donated. These are just a few of the statistics that I have come across, but it tells me one thing, hunters are big hearted people that are helping others in need. They don’t do it for recognition, they do it to help their fellow man. It’s a shame that most of the non hunting community don’t know how much hunters really care abut their communities and the wildlife. We would be in a lot worse shape if hunters and farmers didn’t donate so much meat to those who can’t afford it.

If you do hunt and realize that you have more than you can use, ask your processor if they donate and where they donate,And donated a little bit to those in need. You’ll still be out there hunting and feeding your family, but you will also be helping somebody else. To those nonhunters don’t just judge us by what you hear and see on TV, or from people who don’t know anything about hunting,Know that we are feeding our family and helping those who are in need,with lean organic meat.