Texas hunters help the hungry

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Doug Maler (back) and Rusty Stinson, both butchers at Nemecek Brothers Meat Market in West, cut meat off of a deer carcass that will feed the hungry. Nemecek Brothers Meat Market is involved with Hunters for the Hungry, which allows hunters to bring deer in and donate the food to hungry Texans. Photo by Mindy Poehl

Dec. 30, 2004 - At a time of year when giving takes precedence and many Texans are found in need, Hunters for the Hungry (HFTH) helps hungry Texans by donating food to the impoverished. Since 1990, HFTH has complied with Texas hunters merging their humanity with their hunting skills, allowing them to feed many hungry Texans.

"It (HFTH) is intended to take advantage of the bounty of wildlife to benefit hungry families throughout the state," said Christine Barwick, HFTH program coordinator. "There is an abundance of hunters and deer, and this lets the hunters donate their excess game while they enjoy the sport to its fullest. It's an environmental benefit and it aids hunger with good nutrition."

Texas currently ranks second out of 50 states in the highest percentage of hungry families. An estimated 1.1 million, or 32 percent, of all children in Texas are hungry or at risk of hunger, despite various hunger relief efforts, according to a HFTH news release.

As part of the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies (TACAA), HFTH not only works with volunteer hunters who donate their meat, but many meat processing companies and food distributing companies across Texas are involved in getting the food out to the needy. During the past hunting season, Texas hunters, meat processors and other program supporters joined forces to donate almost 127,000 pounds of wild game (almost 508,000 servings) to help families struggling to make ends meet.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs administers funds to HFTH. In addition, many generous private individuals and financial supporters, including the National Rifle Association (South Texas Region and West Texas Region), Arlington Sportsman's Club, Inc., and Sewell Lexus of Dallas participated this year in the program. HFTH also coordinates activities with the Dallas Safari Club and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has assisted with the program, Barwick said.

"TPWD is a terrific supporter and they are extremely instrumental in publicity," said Barwick. "They also provide their expertise on hunting regulations."

"The entire program is designed around deer," Barwick explained. "Processors are recruited to process deer and the hunters then take their legally tagged wild game to a participating meat processor. The hunters pay a nominal fee of $20 to $30 for processing. The meat is ground into burger meat and put in two-pound packs and distributed to local food banks, food pantries and emergency feeding sites that assist with distributing the meat to those people in the local community who need help with providing well-balanced meals to their families."

Each year, the donations continue to increase. Last year, there was a 20 percent increase in food donated from the previous year.

"So many families are served," Barwick said. "Since 1991, 921,000 pounds of meat have been donated. That equals 3.5 million servings."

At the start of the hunting season, HFTH provides an updated list of non-profit organizations, like food banks, homeless shelters and children's homes; and meat processors who are involved with the program.

Hunters who are trying to make room for this year's game can also donate their frozen meat to their local community through the Share Our Surplus program, a surplus food donation program administrated by TACAA. Frozen game donations must be less than a year old.

Any organizations, processors, or individuals interested in providing a monetary donation or wild game to Hunters for the Hungry, or who want more information, can contact staff at 800/992-9767, ext. 506 or visit their website at www.tacaa.org. An updated list of meat processors for the 2004-05 deer season is posted.