Yesterday, we talked about how hunters can give back to their communities and help those who are less fortunate by donating extra deer through Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry. However, Iowa farmers may have difficulty connecting with that cause since there are only a few butchers affiliated with that program across the state. Fortunately, though, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has its own program that does almost the exact same thing. Help Us Stop Hunger, or HUSH, is a cooperative effort among Iowa deer hunters, the Food Bank of Iowa, meat processors and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa DNR Information Specialist Mick Klemesrud said they have almost thirty lockers throughout the state participating in the program this year.
During the 2021 hunting season, 3,191 deer were donated through the HUSH program, generating nearly 530,000 meals. Hunters must provide a whole deer, and there is no additional processing fee to be paid at the locker.
Another adjacent program is the Iowa Deer Exchange, which is a free online database where deer hunters willing to provide venison can connect with Iowans who want venison. Hunters and those wanting to receive venison enter their contact information to the database and provide their location on a map, and the system will allow hunters and consumers in the area to connect. Klemesrud said this is the third year of the program, and it has been very well received so far.
Klemesrud said it?s been great to see that there?s a demand for venison outside of the active hunting community.
Klemesrud said there are also urban hunts in Iowa, and many of the deer harvested there are donated to HUSH as well.
Like Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Klemesrud said the donation process is as simple as filling out a card at a participating butcher.
For more information, including a list of participating HUSH lockers, visit https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Deer-Hunting.
