PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Deer hunting season is underway in Pennsylvania, and a statewide organization is helping hunters donate meat to people experienceing food insecurity.
Hunters Share the Harvest has been around for 30 years, says John Plowman, the group's executive director. He says donations start in October, when archery season begins.
"The majority of our deer in Pennsylvania -- believe it or not, they come from the southeastern counties, where we have lots of butcher shops," he said. "And there must be a lot of deer there, because some of the shops, they will account for probably one-third of all the deer in our program by the time the seasons are over."
Plowman says the hunters a lot of food banks in that region depend on the help of those hunters.
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"And our meat is about the only red meat that you get at a food bank," he said. "You get a lot of pre-processed foods, but you don’t get fresh foods all the time, particularly high-protein red meat, and that’s where we come in."
Polwman explained how hunters can get involved and donate a deer.
"With each hunting license comes a hunting regulation book called 'The Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest.' We have a full-page ad in the back page of that booklet with all the information on the phone numbers to reach our program, which are toll-free, and also our website, sharedeer.org."
Last year, hunters donated 160,000 lbs. of venison to anti-hunger organizations across the state. Plowman says he expects that record to be broken this hunting season.
"We have accounted for, probably, over 20,000 lbs of venison already just from bow hunters, but only from about six shops," he said.
Butchers across the state -- about 110 of them -- process deer from donors, and they are then reimbursed through Hunters Share the Harvest.
Plowman says non-hunters can also make donations -- of cash -- to their program to help feed Pennsylvanians.