Hunters Helping the Hungry

The Hunters Helping the Hungry Program was developed by three hunters during the 1997-1998 hunting season to help provide needed protein for local food banks while addressing the overpopulation of deer in our community.

Hunters participate in the program by donating deer through an approved butcher to the NORWESCAP (Phillipsburg, NJ) or Ocean Monmouth Food Banks or Food Bank of South Jersey. Processing fees are paid to the butcher by HHH from a fund consisting of donations and grants. Approved butchers are inspected by the State of New Jersey health department. Hunters not only spend time hunting and money for licenses and permits, but they also donate $10 to $65 of the professional meat processing fee when they drop a deer off for processing.

Since the program’s inception, hunters have donated over 234,000 pounds of venison to the HHH providing approximately 936,000 servings of protein to those in need. Supplying venison to those with a protein deficient diet helps combat learning and health problems.

After processing, donated venison is distributed by the Food Bank to over 400 needy feeding charities throughout New Jersey and to America’s Second Harvest Food Banks statewide.