This deer season, local hunters will feed the hungry and curb the deer population simultaneously.
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, an organization that encourages hunters to donate venison to food pantries, received $2,000 to eradicate fees hunters would have to pay to harvest their catch.
The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Division of Wildlife each donated $1,000 to the local chapter. The organization started in Maryland in 1997.
Before the local chapter started a year ago, hunters donated fewer than 10 deer a season because of meat processing costs, which could reach $100 per deer.
Last year, hunters donated 148 deer and Coordinator Barbara Rountree said the extra money should bring in more.
Even one deer can provide 200 meals
so those donations can really help a lot of people Rountree said.
The donated venison is distributed to food pantries throughout 10 counties. Those who meet federal poverty guidelines, such as a family of four that makes less than $44,999 a year, qualify for the free venison.
Wendy Jakmas, president of the chamber of commerce, said this is the first year the chamber donated to the program so that chamber members could help poor families.
Hunting is really a serious recreational sport especially in Southeast Ohio
and we want to do whatever we can to encourage people to donate their meat to local food banks
Jakmas said.
Deer archery season began Sept. 25, with a state deer population at about 650,000. Last year, hunters reported killing 250,000 deer out of the estimated 700,000.
(The Division of Wildlife) relies on hunters
a wildlife management (and) tools to keep the contact between humans and deer down
Vance said.
Without those hunters more deer would wander onto roads and cause accidents, she said.
The deer population is pretty high in Ohio
but there aren't enough predators or food sources to support that population year round
she said.
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