Gov. Patrick Morrissey has declared November to be Wild Game Meat Donation Month in West Virginia.
The proclamation recognizes hunting as a tradition in West Virginia and highlights its role in increasing food security through the Division of Natural Resources/ Hunters Helping the Hungry program (HHH).
“Hunting in West Virginia is an important part of who we are as a people,” said great pride in putting food on their own tables, but also demonstrate remarkable generosity by donating their harvests to help other families in need. Wild Game Meat Donation Month is a time to celebrate that tradition of giving and the difference it makes across our state.”
According to Feeding America, more than 277,000 West Virginians, including one in five children, struggle with food insecurity.
The DNR and the state’s hunting community play a vital role in addressing this need through the HHH program, which has facilitated the processing of more than 1 million pounds of donated venison and provided more than 1.5 million meals to families in need since its launch in 1992.
“Year after year, our hunting community represents the very best of West Virginia,” said DNR director Brett McMillion. “By contributing to wildlife conservation and sharing their harvests with families in need, West Virginia hunters demonstrate their importance as both stewards of our natural resources and as caring neighbors.”
Hunters who wish to donate a deer to the HHH program may take it to a participating meat processor, where it will be ground, packaged and frozen.
Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway and Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington collect donated venison and distribute it to more than 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, shelters and other charitable organizations across the state.