This weekend marks the end of shotgun season in Iowa. In recent years, hunters across the state have harvested around 100,000 deer annually, which means there?s a lot of venison to go around. Unfortunately, there?s always the issue of food insecurity among less fortunate families, but hunters are uniquely positioned to help provide some relief to those families. Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a national venison donation ministry, launched a new campaign this year called Hunt Down Hunger, which aims to encourage hunters across the country to donate some of their legally harvested game- like deer and elk- to local hunger relief charities and ministries. Josh Wilson, executive director of Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, said the idea of a venison donation program has been around since the 1980?s and has only continued to grow every year.
Wilson said the donation process is as simple as locating a nearby participating butcher shop and bringing in a legally harvested deer- the butcher will take care of the rest, and there are designated funds available to cover the processing costs.
Over the past 25 years, Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry has facilitated the donation, processing, and distribution of meat for 23 million meal servings to hungry individuals, children, and families across the country. During that same time, the hunters for the hungry organizations across America have collectively provided a staggering 10 times that amount or more.
As many we prepare to celebrate Christmas and other winter holidays with family gatherings and warm meals, it is important to remember the less fortunate among us. The Hunt Down Hunger campaign aims to encourage hunter participation and public support for the various organizations like Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry that enable hunters to provide meat for their neighbors in need.
Stay tuned tomorrow for more on specific Iowa programs that hunters can get involved with. For more information, visit www.huntdownhunger.org.
