By Jessica Price
As hunters across Greene County pursued and harvested their deer this season, a group of hunters were also sharing their harvest. Approximately 90 deer – roughly 2,300 pounds of meat -have been donated through the Hungarian Smokehouse in Carmichaels to the Corner Cupboard Food Bank. The venison will be distributed to food pantries across Greene County.
This is part of a larger, state wide, program called Hunters Sharing the Harvest. Founded in 1991, Hunters Sharing the Harvest coordinates the processing and distribution of donated game from hunters and municipal herd reduction sources to those in Pennsylvania suffering from food insecurity. Over the past 28 years this organization has created an integrated network of approved deer processors and food banks in every county in the state. These locations help surplus venison meat get to those people who are in need of food. They are a nonprofit organization that relies solely on donors to complete their mission.
In Greene County, hunters can donate the whole deer or parts of deer, through the Hungarian Smokehouse. Once the donation is made, the Smokehouse processes the meat and packages it into one-pound packages of frozen ground meat. The packaged meat is then given to the Corner Cupboard food bank. The food bank works in our county to get food to those who need it through their food pantries.
This year the Hungarian Smokehouse has processed their largest number of donated deer since joining the organization in 2013. In their first year they processed and donated 27 deer, in 2018 50 deer were donated, and so far for the 2019 season, they have processed and donated 90 deer with all meat going to the patrons of the Corner Cupboard food bank. They have packaged and sent a total of 2,300 frozen, one-pound packages to date. Donations come from all over the county and from all types of hunters. Some come from hunters who like the sport of hunting but do not eat the meat, others only keep the cuts of meat that they like from their deer and donate the rest. As word of this organization continues to grow, the Hungarian Smokehouse hopes to continue to increase the number of donations each year.
Venison is low fat and high protein food that is sought out by food distribution organizations due to the low protein content of most other donated foods. One donated deer can provide as many as 200 meals therefore one donation can have a great impact on the larger community. Since 1991 the organization has gathered more than 1.5 million pounds of meat and given it at no cost to food banks, soup kitchens, and mission outreach centers throughout the state. Families and individuals can then access these services to provide meals for themselves. For more information on how to donate you can reach out to the Hungarian Smokehouse in Carmichaels or check out www.sharedeer.org.
