Venison is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. It’s high in protein, low in cholesterol, and lower in fat than turkey (and nearly as low as fish). Add to that the fact that its primary source, whitetail deer, keep multiplying at an amazing rate. Deer harvest limits are at historically high levels, and many hunters fill their freezer by the first week of the season. If you want to keep hunting beyond your freezer’s capacity, donate your harvest to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) or another local organization that donates venison to food banks and other community food groups. FHFH also solicits donations to offset the cost of venison processing, so that the cost to hunters is reduced or completely compensated.
The FHFH concept began more than a decade ago when Rick Wilson, an art teacher and avid hunter, stopped to help a young woman along a country road. “Are you having car trouble?” he asked. “No,” replied the young single mother, “I need help getting this deer in the trunk of my car. My kids are hungry and this will feed us most of the winter.” Wilson was so inspired by the event that he began approaching local churches and sporting groups with his notion of a charity focused on the concept of hunters providing food for the needy. Soon the concept spread nationwide, resulting in millions of donated meals. Here are the details of this landmark contribution:
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) received over 165 tons of donated meat during the past year — enough to feed 1.3 million servings to the needy. This includes deer and elk donated by hunters along with livestock and poultry donations from farmers.
“This meat is a blessing to the hungry men, women and children in our communities,” said Josh Wilson, FHFH Operations Director. “It’s wonderful to be able to help hunters and farmers provide for their neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet.”
FHFH is thankful to all of the hunters and farmers, local FHFH Coordinators, financial supporters, participating meat processors, and prayer partners who make the ministry possible.
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that provides nutritious meat from donated game and livestock to food banks and feeding programs that serve the needy. Formed in Maryland during 1997, FHFH now has Coordinators serving in 25 states.
Visit www.fhfh.org, call toll-free 1-866-438-3434, or email staff@fhfh.org for more information or to inquire about finding or starting FHFH to help feed the hungry of your state.
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