The Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeastern Ohio rarely receives red meat donations but is working with hunters to provide needy families with venison.
Second Harvest is the food bank for the southeastern Ohio chapter of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry; a national faith-based ministry that encourages hunters and farmers to donate extra deer to food banks, local chapter coordinator Barbara Rountree said.
The chapter accepts harvested deer and then provides the processed meat to people in 10 counties through the Second Harvest Food Bank, Rountree said.
In the past, the food bank usually had plenty of dry and canned goods, but seldom had red meat to give to people, Rountree said.
Red meat was scarce
but it's one of the most important foods to eat she said. Venison especially
is low in fat but high in protein.
In September, Rountree started the local chapter and so far has accepted about 140 deer from area hunters and farmers.
Before, if hunters had more deer than they could eat, the meat would spoil and go to waste, but now any additional meat can feed local families in need.
An average doe is about 50 pounds
and if each person eats a quarter-pound of meat
that can feed about 200 people
she said.
To help encourage hunters to donate their harvested does, the Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry covers the processing fee, which can cost around $75 per pound.
But some local meat processors are extending their services by reducing the cost of the processing fee, Rountree said.
We've been fortunate to have some (meat processors) that will process the meat for only $1.50 per pound
she said.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources collaborated with the organization this hunting season by providing a $100,000 grant to the 27 chapters across Ohio to cover processing costs, ODNR communications worker Susie Vance said.
We've helped create an opportunity for hunters to donate as many does as they want without paying any processing fees
she said
So far, Ohio deer hunters have donated more than 33,000 pounds of venison this season, and the number is expected to go even higher because archery season is open until February, Vance said.
Back in Athens, Rountree said she hopes hunters will continue to donate deer, especially when many families in the region are struggling to have enough food to eat.
Many families are finding themselves in a unique position; they just need a little extra help to get by
she said.
In 2007, the Second Harvest Food Bank in Southeastern Ohio put out eight million pounds of food, which fed more than 4,000 families, she said.
Although the Food Bank is still compiling numbers from 2008, Rountree said it saw a 52 percent increase in food demand compared to 2007.
I see how much families are struggling
she said. The (deer) donations give some hope
