HUNTERS FOR THE HUNGRY IN NEED OF VENISON – Even a package or two would make a difference this year!

Hunters for the Hungry is seeing first hand the impact of this devastating economy.  Program director, Laura Newell-Furniss reports that donations of venison are down by 40% through this summer’s damage permits and the bowhunting season.  111,000 pounds of meat have been donated and distributed compared to 185,000 pounds as of this time last year.  She attributes this shortfall to the pressures all of us are feeling with the current state of the economy and the length of time this decline is continuing.  Many people are keeping more deer for their own families or they know people personally who are asking them to give them a deer.

While everyone is feeling the effects, the poor are suffering the most.  Imagine what it would be like not to have food for your family; this is what many people are facing.  We must think afresh about how we can help one another to get through this time.  We are asking all hunters to consider donating a package or two of venison out of the meat they are having processed for their families.  A pound or two will make such a difference.

The feeding programs that we work with are reporting increases of three to four times the number of people coming in for help.  In year’s past, when we received calls for food we would be able to send them to one of our processors within a day or two at the most.  That is not the case now.  In this time of such great need, we ask the hunters of Virginia to continue their rich heritage of sharing their harvest.

The program also accepts donations of entire deer and will pay the processing fees on those deer.  For a complete listing of where you can donate your legally harvested field-dressed deer, call 1-800-352-4868 or go to 2011 processing locations here on the website- www.h4hungry.org.  Your help has never been more needed!  Please consider donating a large bodied deer that would yield 50 pounds or more of quality venison for the hungry.

 Our charity, like many others, is also experiencing a short-fall of financial contributions.  A gift of $40.00 will process a deer and on average provide 200 servings of venison for people in need.  Additional ways to support the charity include the purchase of raffle tickets and merchandise.  Information on these two ways of helping the program are also available here on the website.

Hunters for the Hungry, through the generosity of hunters and financial contributors, has provided 18.2 million quarter pound servings of venison since the program began in 1991.  People wanting to assist this hunger-relief organization can contact them at 1-800-352-4868, or by email at hunt4hungry@cs.com.  Donations and requests for more information can be mailed to Hunters for the Hungry, P.O. Box 304 , Big Island , VA   24526 .