Hunters for the Hungry can still use your venison donations to help feed people in need. Last season the program received 178,662 pounds of venison in Texas, which was the equivalent of 714,648 servings, program coordinator Anita Hendricks said to Lone Star Outdoor News. All the venison is turned into ground meat and wrapped in two-pound packages that are donated to food banks, pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other groups such as the Salvation Army. In Texas, 1 in 6 people struggle to afford food. In fact, our state has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the nation. But hunger in Texas affects everyone, not just those in need – food insecurity costs the state $9 billion per year. Hunters can bring their legally tagged, field-dressed deer to participating wild game processors across the state. The processors—about 100 of them across Texas — are listed on tacaa.org/hunters-for-the-hungry. Hunters may also call the program’s hotline, 800-992-9767, ext. 506. A hunter pays the processor a fee which, frequently, is about half of what is normally charged, Hendricks said, but recommends that hunters call the processors to verify locations, hours and fees.
