News
Food Banks Benefit From Hunter Harvest
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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Food pantries across the state are benefiting from a successful season for deer hunters.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, sportsmen and women donated more than 100-thousand pounds of venison to food assistance programs this hunting season.
The donation is part of the Hunters Feeding the Hungry program.
The program also includes grant money to cover the cost of processing the deer.
Barbara Roundtree, a community service worker with Hocking, Athens, and Perry Action Agency, says they could not continue to offer help without such donations.
"Without it, it would be expensive. For Athens County alone, this year we took in 77 deer, but without the grant, it's not feasible or affordable to participate in the program," said Roundtree.
Roundtree says their clients find venison as useful as chicken or beef.
"Venison, it's straight. You don't have to put any additives, the fat is not there, it's a very lean animal, it's high protein. When you cook it with some seasonings and stuff, it's even better, I think, than hamburger," explained Roundtree.
Roundtree says the Athens Foundation and Athens Chamber of Commerce as well as other local establishments provided donations for the processing of venison.