Local hunters encouraged to help feed the hungry

This archery season marks the tenth year the Dubois County Sportsmen’s Club has supported Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, a program through which hunters donate game to low-income assistance programs.

Last year, the group donated 102 deers to the program.

According to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, protein is the number one nutrient and is fundamental in the development of the brain and body. Unfortunately, it is also the hardest commodity for food banks to get.

The organization encourages both hunters and farmers to donate large game, cattle, poultry and hogs. There are no charges or fees to the donor; they just take the livestock or wild game to one of our participating inspected butchers. The butcher will cut and package the meat into family size packages for distribution by local food banks and other food assistance organizations.

Participating butchers and processors can be found here.

While feeding the hungry, this program benefits communities in other ways as well.  The Department of Natural resources needs to have the deer population controlled because deer can damage state parks.  Overpopulation can also lead to malnourished and small deer, crop damage, and auto accidents. Thinning out the herd can help mitigate these problems.   Farmers and ranchers may also deduct t he value of donated livestock on their taxes.

Over the past 7 years, more than 280,000 pounds of meat have been donated across the state, providing over 1 million servings of meat to soup kitchens and food pantries across Indiana.