JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – Venison fuels a program to help feed the hungry, providing hunters and families who have more venison than they know what to do with an option to make a gift of the meat.
Since 1991, the Hunters Sharing the Harvest venison donation program (HSH) has coordinated the processing and distribution of donated wild game from hunters and municipal herd reduction sources to hungry people throughout Pennsylvania.
An average-sized deer will provide enough highly nutritious, low-cholesterol meat for 200 meals.
This sportsmen-inspired community service outreach effectively channels this wholesome venison product via an integrated network of approved deer processors and food banks down to the most local charitable provider organizations in our urban and rural communities.
HSH has evolved as a respected partner with deer management practices throughout the Commonwealth.
According to Jefferson County’s HSH coordinator Jim VanSteenberg, donating deer in Jefferson County “is a bit tricky because of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).”
“HSH folks won’t accept any deer unless they have tested negative for CWD,” VanSteenberg explained, noting that Jefferson County is 90% within the Disease Management Area established by the Pennsylvania Game Commission for CWD.
Testing for CWD is a month-long process that requires testing of the deer’s head. Storing a deer until the test results come back isn’t something the processors can do.
However, Jefferson County hunters who hunt outside of the designated Disease Management Area can still participate.
“If someone brings me a deer from Clarion County or elsewhere outside of the zones, I can take care of it,” he said.
Jefferson County hunters can take their deer to Moon’s Meats at 8822 Mt. Pleasant Road in Corsica.
VanSteenberg said that he has already been contacted by hunters from New Bethlehem who said they will donate this year if they’re lucky enough to get a deer.
Last year VanSteenberg had one deer donated.
Donations are given to the food pantries in Brookville and Reynoldsville.
Bill Hearst, the regional HSH coordinator for Clarion County, explained that he is a hunter and enjoys the sport; however, he doesn’t particularly like eating venison.
“Some people love venison,” he said. “Those people will eat it all year long. Others only want it once in a while and that’s it.”
Some hunters will still have a freezer full of deer meat when the new hunting season arrives. These are the hunters who often donate to the effort, according to Hearst.
PJ’s Country Market located at 19633 Route 208 in Fryburg works with HSH by processing the meat which is then picked up by area charities.
HSH, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, has been reaching out to other processors hoping they will also get involved. The charity is supported through individuals and businesses, including the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Participating HSH butchers are paid for their services through sponsor-supported donations. They help to coordinate the meat deliveries to the local food banks. The food banks, in turn, redistribute the venison to local food assistance provider organizations such as food pantries, missions, homeless shelters, hunger-relief organizations, and churches.
According to HSH, an estimated 150,000 pounds of ground venison was provided last year to more than 5,000 food banks and food assistance centers statewide.
HSH has distributed 1.2 million pounds of donated venison since 1991.
For more information about HSH and to locate a local processor, visit sharedeer.org.
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