As the 2007-08 deer season opens, hunters are encouraged to provide food to needy families by participating in Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH), a program providing thousands of pounds of ground venison to area food banks. Food banks then donate the processed venison to help feed needy families. Since the program began in 1999, more than 380,000 pounds of ground venison has been donated to Alabama food banks statewide.

 

Begun as a joint project of the Governor’s Office, the National Rifle Association, the Phillip Morris Company, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), and the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation, the program raised funds through the Governor’s Hunt for Hunger benefit quail hunts.

 

“Donating food to the needy is just one of the many ways hunters help this state,” said ADCNR Commissioner M. Barnett Lawley. “We encourage all Alabama deer hunters to participate in this program and also encourage all local deer processors to become involved.”

 

The combination of Alabama’s long hunting season, dense deer population and generous bag limit provides ample opportunity for hunters to put food on their own tables as well the tables of those less fortunate. There is no charge to the hunter for processing the deer. Forty-eight processors throughout the state participate in the program and more are being added to the list each season. It’s not too late to be included in the program. Call (334) 242-3467 for more information or to sign on as a participating processor.  

 

How Hunters Helping the Hungry Works

·           Hunters field dress the deer and take it to a participating processor. A list of deer processors is available at www.outdooralabama.com. The hunter is not charged to donate the venison, but hunters may voluntarily pay processing fees to provide more venison for food banks to distribute.

·           The deer is processed into ground venison, packaged and frozen in quantities not exceeding four pounds each. The processed venison is distributed to the nearest participating food bank. The processor receives $1 per pound from the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation for their labor.

·           The food bank picks up the venison for distribution to those in need.

 

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com.