Game Commission Increases Donation to Hunters Sharing the Harvest

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today voted to increase the agency’s monetary donation to Hunters Sharing the Harvest, ensuring that hunters can continue to donate venison to the state’s hungry without having to pay deer-processing costs.

The board unanimously approved increasing to $55,000 the Game Commission’s 2019 donation to Hunters Sharing the Harvest. The Game Commission for several years has made annual $20,000 donations to the nonprofit organization that routes hunter-harvested ground venison to food banks and soup kitchens statewide, but Hunters Sharing the Harvest asked the board to consider increasing the contribution to offset the program’s rising costs.

Board of Game Commissioners President Timothy Layton said the increase, which was approved by unanimous vote, will go a long way to allow Hunters Sharing the Harvest to continue fulfilling its mission.

The program is more popular than ever, said John Plowman, executive director for Hunters Sharing the Harvest.

The state’s hunters in 2018 set a record with their donation of nearly 150,000 pounds of venison to Hunters Sharing the Harvest, Plowman said.