Hunters Encouraged to Donate Venison in Northeast Ohio
Local organization pays for processing
 
AKRON, OH - Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH), a ministry that provides nutritious venison to the hungry through food banks and local feeding programs now has seven participating coordinators in Northeast Ohio. FHFH helps hunters return to their heritage as food-providers by transforming deer - renewable resources- into meals for the hungry.
 
Hunters in Northeast Ohio can contact the following coordinators to arrange deer donations at participating butchers. Hunters may also find information on drop-off locations at www.fhfh.org.
 
Carroll County                         
Mark Oboy
740-269-3024                                                  
mvoboy@eohio.net
 
Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties                          
Carol Bretz                 
330-424-7221, ext. 101          
bretz@caaofcc.org
 
Cuyahoga and Lorain counties
Pete Banks
440-988-5495
pete@fhfh.org   
 
Geauga County                        
JasonTraggiai                             
440-548-5904                                                        
traggiai@windstream.net
 
Portage County                       
David Walstad                                                  
330-256-1368                                                 
northernohiofhfh@yahoo.com 
 
Holmes County                        
Dustin Taylor
330-231-3295
DustinMTaylor@gmail.com
 
Stark County                            
Timothy Wedekamm
330-705-9260
TWedekamm@neo.rr.com
 
Tuscarawas County                  
Dewey Thompson
740-502-5568
dl-thompson@sbcglogal.net
 
Wayne County                                  
Fred Bradford & Dennis Derflinger
Fred 330-201-4117 or Dennis 330-464-0284
dcsbradfor@hotmail.com or derfsdv@sssnet.com                                                           
 
Successful hunters donate deer to partnering butcher shops that are licensed and inspected by the health department or USDA. Regional food banks as well as local feeding programs and ministries that feed the hungry pick up the packaged, frozen meat from the butcher shop. Local FHFH chapters raise money to cover the butchering costs so that hunters can donate their deer free of charge. FHFH then matches that amount with grant monies from Division of Wildlife.
           
FHFH began in 1997 and blossomed from one Maryland County to over half of the states in the nation. Since its inception, FHFH has provided nutritious meat for millions of meals to the food banks and agencies that serve the poor across the country. FHFH is a 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
 
Anyone interested in becoming a local Ohio FHFH coordinator or a participating meat processor should visit the "Local FHFH" page at www.fhfh.org.