November 14, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BIG ISLAND, VA

HUNTERS FOR THE HUNGRY PROGRAM OFF PACE BY 80,000 POUNDS

-NEED GREATER THAN EVER!

The general firearms deer season will began Saturday, November 17 and we at Hunters for the Hungry find ourselves substantially behind in donations of deer through the archery and muzzleloading seasons.  At the same time the feeding programs we supply the venison to are seeing a greater need for this lean meat than ever before.  Laura Newell-Furniss, program director, said “We are getting calls every day from individuals and from feeding programs requesting the venison.  The need for this high quality lean protein is great.  We are hoping that the deer hunters will donate more deer than ever during the general firearms season and help us assist their local foodbanks, church food pantries and soup kitchens to get this nutritious food to people who are struggling to feed their families.”

 Donating is easy, hunters just need to take their field dressed, legally tagged deer to a participating processor.  (The statewide list is in the enclosed brochure, if you are able to mention the local processors in your article or story that would assist us in getting the needed information to hunters who wish to participate.) The processor will record the date and county of the harvest, the check in number and the hunters contact information.  We will then pay the processor to skin, cut, wrap and freeze the meat.  It will look very similar to lean beef that you would find in your grocery store.  When the processor has a quantity of deer ready to be picked up they call us and we make arrangements for the meat to be picked up by a local feeding program who will then give it to people in need in their community.  We are grateful to all our participating processors who give our program a discount off their normal processing fee.  This is very generous of these hard working men and women.

 We are hearing from the local feeding programs that their requests for food have increased by two to three times what they were last year.  Continuing increases in food prices and the struggling economy have meant more people are in need of help.  If you were to visit your local food bank or pantry, you will see first hand the shortages and the many people who are in need of assistance.  The need for meat is especially great.

 Since our program began in 1991, the deer hunters of Virginia have donated in excess of 4.9 million pounds of meat.  This is enough venison to provide 19.8 million quarter pound servings of this quality food!  We ask the deer hunters to once again share your harvest with those in need this year.  The compassion you have shown your fellow man is to be commended.  We would remind hunters that the donation of mature large bodied deer help our donated dollars for processing to go further!

 For more information, please visit our website at www.h4hungry.org or give us a call at 1-800-352-4868.  Please help us make this abundant renewable natural resource available to people in need.