- News -
Oakdale, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Hunters Sharing the Harvest at Colliers Sportsmen’s Club in Oakdale, Allegheny County today to celebrate their partnership with Pennsylvania hunters to fight hunger in the state. The program supplies donated venison to hungry families statewide through Hunger-Free PA foodbanks and other charitable organizations with support from the state, small butcher shops and corporate donors.
“Hunters Sharing the Harvest is a great illustration of what happens when public sector support and private generosity work together to solve a problem,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Combining the passion of Pennsylvania’s hunting enthusiasts with the skill of our small butcher shops, seasoning their donations with corporate and state funding and serving them through a strong network of charitable food organizations is the recipe for putting nutritious meals on the tables of families in need.”
“Our proud partnership with Hunters Sharing the Harvest over the past 30-plus years has been instrumental with maintaining a steady supply of high-protein, nutritious product we could not possibly purchase in the open market,” Hunger-Free PA Executive Director Sheila Christopher said.
The department provided $175,759 to support the program in 2019, partially funding the costs of processing donated meat. To date, hunters have donated more than 116,000 pounds of venison from nearly 3,000 deer during the 2019 hunting season. Processing is still underway for the season.
“Our program is unique in maintaining its effectiveness and recognition of our Pennsylvania hunters’ compassion for others and since 1991,” said Hunters Sharing the Harvest Executive Director John Plowman. “With a 2018 record of 150,000 high-protein pounds distributed to statewide food banks, soup kitchens and families in need, we’re shooting for comparably good results once all 2019 season reports are in.”
Hunters Sharing the Harvest also partners with the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Deer Management Assistance Program, encouraging hunter donations as a means of preserving natural habitat that supports wildlife diversity and healthy deer. The Pennsylvania Game Commission donated more than $54,000 in 2019 and provides venison to the program through its deer management methods.
Hunters interested in participating can take their deer to one of the participating meat processors throughout the state and donate any amount of their venison to the program.
For more information on Hunters Sharing the Harvest, becoming a corporate sponsor, or donating through their Buck for a Pot initiative visit sharedeer.org.
Find out more about the Wolf Administration’s strategy to end hunger in Pennsylvania at dhs.pa.gov/about/ending-hunger.
MEDIA CONTACT: Shannon Powers – 717.783.2628
