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September 7, 2001

Hunters for the Hungry
help feed needy families

Texas hunters and meat processors partnered to donate over 72,400 pounds of meat during the 2000-2001 hunting season through Hunters for the Hungry (HFTH).

HFTH is administered on a statewide level by the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies (TACAA) with the local assistance of organizations such as the Dallas Safari Club, the End Hunger Network, and the Texas Association of Second Harvest Food Banks. The program, funded largely by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, provides needy, low-income Texan families with a nutritious, low-fat source of protein.

The success of HFTH depends on the collective efforts of hunters, meat processors, and food-assistance providers; hunters take their legally harvested deer, hog, or other wild game to participating meat processors, who process and package the donated meat for a nominal fee to cover basic costs. Meat processors then notify local food banks, pantries, emergency feeding sites, community and faith-based organizations, which distribute the meat to families in need. Additionally, dedicated community organizations, such as the West Texas Chapter of the Safari Club International, the Exotic Wildlife Association, the Texas Deer Association, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Texas Wildlife Association, DeerTexas.com, and Rotary International provide essential support by helping to promote the program.

"Hunters for the Hungry is the only source of meat for so many families," asserts Mary Enriquez, manager of the Pressa Meat Locker Plant, the only participating meat processor in San Antonio.

A little ground venison or other wild game goes a long way to fight malnutrition, according to Janie Davis of the Amarillo-based High Plains Food Bank, which transports meat donations to food-assistance providers in 27 counties for distribution to 5,500 low-income families throughout the Panhandle.

Any volunteer organizations, processors, or hunters interested in working with HFTH should contact Monica Murphy of TACAA at 800/992-9767.