MORE THAN 33,550 POUNDS OF VENISON DONATED
Still time for hunters to donate extra venison to the needy
COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio deer hunters have donated more than 33,550 pounds of venison to local food banks so far this deer season, according to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The 33,550 pounds equals approximately 134,000 meals for needy Ohioans. Last year FHFH collected 20,902 pounds of venison through the entire year. With 17 of the 27 FHFH chapters reporting, 671 deer have been donated so far with plenty of deer hunting opportunity left in the 2008-09 season.
“The confluence of economic events over the past year have stressed charities to keep up as more people in crisis turn to our network for help. This partnership means our food pantries will receive the nutritious meat they so desperately need to feed their needy neighbors,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks.
Hunters still have a weekend of deer-gun hunting, December 20-21, and six weeks of archery hunting in Ohio. Archery season remains open until February 1. The statewide muzzleloader deer-hunting season will be held December 27-30.
The Division of Wildlife has collaborated with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry in an effort to assist with the processing costs associated with donating venison to a food bank. A $100,000 subsidy grant was provided in two $50,000 allotments that are to be matched with funds generated or collected by FHFH. The Division is subsidizing this year's FHFH operation as an additional deer management tool, helping wildlife managers encourage hunters to kill more does.
Venison that is donated to food banks must be processed by a state inspected and insured meat processor that is participating with FHFH. Hunters wishing to donate their deer to a food bank are not required to pay for the processing of the venison as long as the program has funds available to cover the cost. There are currently 43 meat processors across the state participating. A list is provided at www.fhfh.org.
Since last year, FHFH has more than doubled the number of chapters from 12 to 27, with the need for more. Anyone interested in becoming a local FHFH coordinator or a participating meat processor should visit the "Local FHFH" page at www.fhfh.org. The current list of coordinators along with their program names and the counties they are serving can be found there.
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For Further Information Contact:
National and State contacts
Rick or Josh Wilson, FHFH National Headquarters
1.866.GET.FHFH
438.3434
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Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks
614.221.4336
614.271.4803 (cell phone)
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Jim Marshall, Division of Wildlife
614.265.6302
Local contacts
Lee Talley, Athens County FHFH
614.496.4680
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Barbara Roundtree, Southeast Ohio FHFH (Athens & Hocking counties)
740.385.6813
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Walter Wilson, Southwest Ohio FHFH (Butler Co.)
513.410.1329
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Donald Boling, Southern Ohio FHFH, (Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, & Warren counties)
513.777.9525
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Mark Oboy, Carroll County Ohio FHFH
740.269.3024
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Brian Suttles, Champaign County FHFH
937.205.4152
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Dewey Thompson, Coshocton County FHFH
740.623.0859
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Rick Houseburg, Crawford County FHFH
419.466.4143
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Justin Ross, Delaware County FHFH
740.817.2643
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Jeff Fornshell, Fairfield County FHFH
740.407.8247
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Dave King, Central Ohio FHFH (Franklin Co.)
614. 431.5811
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Barb Graves, HighlandCountyFHFH
937.515.2221
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Justin Ross, Licking County FHFH
740.817.2643
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Pete Banks, North Central Ohio FHFH
440.988.5495
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Allen or Arthur Dunlap, Northwest Ohio FHFH (Lucas & Wood counties)
419.466.4143 or 419.360.4080
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Bryan Renner, Northeast Ohio FHFH (Mahoning Co.)
330.542.3141
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Robert Daniels, West Muskingum FFA FHFH (Muskingun, Morgan & Perry counties)
740.819.4336
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Sherri Good, Buckeye Area FHFH (Paulding Co.)
419.399.3645
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Tony Goodrich or Robert Brokaw, Perry County FHFH
740.297.1166 or 740.743.0074
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Patricia Strickland, Pike CountyFHFH
740.947.4369
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James Davis, Seneca CountyFHFH
419.937.7014
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Cory Meyer, ShelbyCountyFHFH
937.419.0396
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Jeffrey Clarke, Tuscarawas CountyFHFH
330.204.1201