Hunters help the hungry

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  • Hunters for the Hungry
    Hunters for the Hungry
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    The Pendleton County Cooperative Extension Office Family and Consumer Science Educator was approached by our local game warden, Scott Horn, wanting to offer the Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry opportunity in our county in 2019.  Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry (KHFH) is a charitable, volunteer ran organization comprised of responsible hunters and conservationist who encourage hunters to harvest and donate deer each season. KHFH is a statewide hunger relief program dedicated to providing a healthy source of protein to Kentuckians in need. The mission is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in Kentucky by paying for the processing and distributing donated venison to those in need, to provide an outlet for hunters to help their communities and promote environmental stewardship through wildlife management.
    Hunger is a hidden hardship that the pandemic has made visible, a persistent crisis that the pandemic has made worse.  Across America, people are lining up for food — on foot and in cars, at churches and recreation centers and in school parking lots, in wealthy states and poorer ones. They are parents and grandparents, students and veterans, employed and underemployed and jobless.  This became very visible in Pendleton County as well.
    The Pendleton County Extension Office and game warden reached out to hunters in our community at the beginning of the 2020 hunting season and we accepted deer throughout the entire season. During the timeframe stated, local hunters harvested the deer and took them to one of two local processing facilities.  Processed meat was stored at the Pendleton County Extension Office until the distribution.  All processed meat was in the form of ground venison.
    Distribution of the meat went out as quick as in came in to our partnering food pantries throughout the months of November, December and January.  Participants were provided recipe cards and items to assist them in the kitchen with preparing their family meals.  Recipe cards and incentives were provided through Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in partnership with USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and SNAP.
    Horn said, ““I am thankful for the partnership I was able to establish with the Pendleton County Extension Office. I have received several phone calls in the  past from   residents in desperate need for food, to the point they ask for deer struck on the side of the road.   This collaboration with local processors, the Hunters for the Hungry state program, The Pendleton County Extension Service and local food pantries has helped provide a safe, effective way of taking care of a community need.  I have also seen the benefits it provides to local hunters and providing them an outlet to support the program as well.  It is a win-win for all.”
    “Deer meat distribution has been great in our community.  We have had the opportunity to distribute over 500 pounds of meat to families in Pendleton County.  Individuals receiving the meat have been very thankful for this opportunity.”  ~Spokesperson for Open Hands food distribution.
    “We have given over 500 pounds out in our Neighbor Reaching Neighbor program.  Everyone has been very thankful.  Several have indicated it has been their first time eating venison and they appreciated the recipes and have asked for more.  We distribute monthly to those in need in our community and have been able to share with them more than once.  We have reached over 300 families and still have more to distribute.”  ~Spokesperson for Neighbor Reaching Neighbor.
    “What a blessing to know that our services are helping families in our county that are in need.  Many time hunters come in with more deer than they can eat or want and this program is a great source for them to donate knowing their donations are reaching those in our county.  We are thankful to be part of the Hunters for the Hungry program and for the partnership we have formed with our local Extension Office.”  Spokesperson from Lenoxburg Market.
    Our partners for the 2020 deer meat distribution included: Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, Pendleton County Game Warden, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, 4-H Shooting sports youth and leaders, two local Processing facilities, (Stacey’s Processing and Lenoxburg Store), Butler Baptist Church, Open Hands, University of Kentucky SNAP program and USDA SNAP.
    Beyond the impact of providing an additional source of protein for over 350 families, the program also brought awareness to the number of families/children living in poverty in our county.  A total of 1,450 pounds of ground venison was distributed to those families. That is about 25 deer that were donated and processed for our program.