U.S. has about 60 venison donation programs in 42 states that help to feed hungry Americans

Kip Padgelek loads 828 pounds of packaged venison for a
local food bank. (Photo by Randy Ferguson/HSH via the Yonder)

Ending hunger for many rural Americans can begin with connecting hunters with those in need. "Deer venison donation programs provide food-insecure Americans with tens of millions of pounds of meat every year," reports Katie Hill of The Daily Yonder. "And it’s their relationship with hunters, butchers, and food banks that make it possible."

For smaller communities with residents who often struggle with food insecurity, deer meat is a solution that provides sustenance and connection. Hill explains, "In states like Pennsylvania, Texas, and Illinois, where the urban-rural divide seems to deepen with every passing election cycle, venison becomes something of a bridge — a show of communal care passed from hunters to their neighbors in need, near and far."

Getting a harvested deer onto the table of those needs requires the donating hunter to find a butcher to process the meat. That's when businesses such as Kip's Deer Processing in Pennsylvania lend their expertise and hard work. Hill adds, "Kip's is one of roughly 100 independent processors from across the state who do the messy, tiresome work of turning donated deer into ground meat."

Butchers are paid for their work through the state's Hunters Sharing Harvest program, which "compensates participating butchers with money that comes partially from corporate sponsors and non-profit partners of HSH and partially through the Department of Agriculture's Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture."

A carve-out within the TEFAP law is foundational for many venison donation programs across the U.S. The allowance provides "funding to be spent on 'intrastate and interstate transport, storing, handling, repackaging, processing, and distribution of foods (including donated wild game)' and other commodity proteins." Currently, there are almost 60 venison donation programs in 42 states.