This weekend begins the start of deer hunting season in Texas, and the East Texas Food Bank is hoping participants will donate some of their venison through the Hunters for the Hungry (HFH) program.
The program is made possible through a partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and distributes deer to local food banks to feed neighbors. Hunters can donate legally harvested deer to a participating meat processor, who will be compensated for preparing the venison for distribution.
“So many of the people we serve look forward to receiving fresh venison each year and we are grateful that so many hunters give back to this program,” said David Emerson, CEO of the ETFB. “Currently 1 in 5 East Texans, including 1 in 4 children, are facing hunger. We are serving over 34 million meals a year to fight food insecurity.”
This year, ETFB has a new refrigerated trailer to store the venison thanks to a grant from TPWD and the National Rifle Association Foundation.
“The NRA Foundation, along with all the donors that provided the funding within the Hunters’ Leadership Forum, are honored to have provided the financial support for the purchase of this trailer,” said Peter Churchbourne, Executive Director of the NRA Foundation. “After seeing the successful use of these trailers by other food banks in Texas, it was an easy decision for us to help the ETFB acquire this tool. This trailer will help expand the reach for wild game meat donations and allow more healthy organic protein to end up in the kitchens of our fellow Americans that need support.”
HFH has provided over 12 million servings of venison to hungry Texans. “Hunters can drop off legally tagged, deer to participating meat processors,” said Ross Sinicropi, food resource manager with Feeding Texas. “The partner processors prepare the venison for distribution and there’s no cost to the hunter.”
Hunters Deer Donation Locations
The ETFB has two processors that hunters can bring their deer to in East Texas if they would like to participate in the program.
- TFR Country Store (Carnes) – 20601 Hwy 110 South – Troup
- Massingills Meat Market – 3728 U.S. Hwy 69 North – Lufkin
New Deer Processors Needed
Processors can participate by contacting the East Texas Food Bank at 903-597-3663 to sign-up. Partners receive donation receipts, chub packs for donated venison and promotional materials. However, Hunters for the Hungry only accepts deer.
“Some hunters want to donate feral hogs but due to federal restrictions, the program is not allowed to accepted hog meat for distribution,” added Sinicropi. “Texas Parks and Wildlife Statues & Regulations state that salvaging highway kill is illegal. Also, the program only works with fresh venison.”
As more Americans are seeking out healthier foods, people are discovering that venison is not only a high quality, lean protein source, but is also low in calories.
“Deer meat has very little saturated fat or cholesterol and is an excellent source of minerals and vitamins,” said Kinsey Thompson, ETFB Community Initiatives Director. “You can substitute venison in almost any hamburger, beef or lamb recipes.”
The general white-tailed deer season begins November 1 and ends during January based on your county, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife. Hunting regulations can be found on their website at tpwd.texas.gov
“A hunting license allows a hunter to harvest up to five white-tailed deer and two mule deer, dependent on the county or counties in which one hunts,” said Immanuel Salas, Target Range Grant Coordinator for Texas Parks & Wildlife. “There may be more opportunities to harvest additional deer if the property being hunted is engaged in the Managed Lands Deer Program. When individual hunters donate their harvests, they are directly helping their neighbors. This not only feeds people but also demonstrates one of the many ways that hunters are thoughtful and respectful of non-hunters. It also shows value for wildlife and the sustenance they provide. Additionally, hunters have an opportunity to donate to HFH when they purchase their hunting and/or fishing license.”
Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists conduct deer surveys each summer and fall to estimate deer populations and help determine future deer harvest regulations. The statewide white-tailed deer population is estimated to be about 5.5 million animals and about 327,000 of those deer are located in the Pineywoods of East Texas. An estimated 500,000 white tailed deer are harvested each year in Texas.
To learn more about Hunters for the Hungry visit EastTexasFoodBank.org/hunters.
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Texas Parks and Wildlife Links
https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/smith
TPWD’s Hunter Education https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education
TPWD’s Public Hunting Program https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/
Texas Youth Hunting Program https://tyhp.org/
Adult Learn to Hunt Program https://www.texas-wildlife.org/program-areas/hunting-heritage/texas-learn-to-hunt-program/
