Local Ohio Food Pantries Welcome Venison Donations
Safari Club International and Shawnee Outdoorsmen Association to help feed the hungry.
XENIA, OH –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Southwest Ohio Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI) along with Shawnees Outdoorsmen Association and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife donated venison to several Southwest Ohio food pantries in recent weeks.
Hunters wishing to donate their deer to a food bank are, in most cases, required to pay for the processing of the venison. Organizations, such as Safari Club International, local conservation clubs and private meat processors, have helped absorb the cost of deer processing in some areas.
These efforts have resulted in recent donations of nearly 400 lbs. of venison in Adams, Brown, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties. Food pantries generally receive very little red meat donations. Any monetary donations they do receive are then used to buy meat. The monies cannot be used for administrative fees and the food pantries and banks are run by volunteers, not paid employees.
The Southwest Ohio Chapter of Safari Club International has funded venison donations in this area of the state for more than 10 years through their Hunters Feeding the Hungry program. A total of 200 lbs. was distributed to needy families in a five-county area the first week of December.
This year the Shawnee Outdoorsmen Association, in Adams County, also paid for deer processing. Almost 200 lbs. of venison was distributed locally prior to Thanksgiving through the New Life Fellowship of Adams County.
Hunters in Ohio will have plenty of opportunity to harvest multiple deer again this year during the 2009-2010 deer seasons. For more information on donating venison, visit www.wildohio.com. For information on the Southwest Ohio Chapter of Safari Club International, visit www.sciswo.org.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.