Holiday Reminder From Sportsmen Against Hunger
PIERRE, S.D. –-(Ammoland.com)- January brings a great opportunity for Sportsmen to help those in need.
This time of year brings a number of reasons to celebrate.
For many of us, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day are spent relaxing with family and friends and partaking in good food and holiday cheer; however, there are those who are not as fortunate and struggle to make ends meet, especially at Christmas time.
These past few years have been especially difficult due to economic conditions. As a result, putting nutritious food on the table is a daily challenge. In fact nearly 1 in 7 – or 100,000 people – in our state seek assistance from the food banks and almost half of those are children.
In 2006, a dedicated group of sportsmen formed South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger to provide individuals and families with some desperately needed food by harvesting abundant deer and antelope in our state, paying for processing costs and distributing the meat through the food banks and pantries across the state.
Distributing the processed meat through these organizations guarantees that this food will go to those with the most critical need. Sportsmen have been a significant component in the success of the program and with their help we hope to exceed our goal of delivering over 100,000 pound of venison this year.
“You as sportsmen can help us reach our goal this season,” Jeff Olson, president of the Sportsmen Against Hunter association, said.
“On New Year’s day and extending through Jan. 9 2011, unused South Dakota deer and antelope licenses for 2010 will convert to antlerless licenses. As a sportsman who cares, you can help those less fortunate by filling your unused tags and taking those animals to a participating SAH meat processor.”
There are also unsold licenses in many units that can be purchased and used in this antlerless season. Another benefit is that it may help reduce damage to stored feed experienced by farmers and ranchers who have concentrations of these animals on their land.
“January 1st happens to be on a Saturday this year so it is a great time to get out do some hunting on the weekend. Please take the time in early 2010 to help those in need,” Olson said.
For more information about South Dakota Sportsmen Against hunger, and to find a list of participating processors in your area, go to our web page at www.feedtheneedsd.com.