Virginia Hunters for the Hungry Surpasses 20.9 Million Servings of Donated Food

The Lynchburg News and Advance reports that despite a dip in the number of pounds donated by hunters during the last deer season, Virginia Hunters for the Hungry has supassed 20.9 million servings of donated food since its founding in 1991.

Hunters for the Hungry, a Bedford County nonprofit that donates venison for the needy, collected roughly 279,300 pounds of deer meat in 2012 — the lowest in nine years.

It was enough to provide more than 1 million quarter-pound servings, according to the Big Island program’s recent newsletter.

“While we did provide an impressive amount of food, our donations of deer were down 28 percent from 2011,” it said.
The group attributed the reduced donations to several factors including an 8 percent drop in deer harvest statewide, as well as the economy and high food prices leading donors to share more venison with family and friends.  Hemorrhagic deer disease also eliminated up to 30 percent of the deer population in some areas.

Despite the decline, hunters are still a main source of much need protein source for the needy.