INDIANA – Indiana First Lady Janet Holcomb on Monday joined the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana to let hunters know how they can help hungry Hoosiers. This reminder comes as deer firearms hunting season begins and the need for protein donations remains strong across the state.
Updated this year with a new name and website, “Indiana Hunt for Hunger” turns donated deer into healthy venison that is provided to Hoosiers through food banks like Gleaners across the state.
The program, previously called the Sportsmen’s Benevolence Fund, was started by the Indiana DNR and its partners in 2008. Since then, it has grown across the state to collect thousands of deer donations, providing hundreds of thousands of meals for Hoosiers.
To better explain the program’s vital mission and spur even greater participation, it’s now called “Indiana Hunt for Hunger,” with continuing partnerships with Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, the Dubois County Sportsmen’s Club, and Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry.
Here’s how it works. Hunters take their field-dressed harvested deer to one of more than 50 participating meat processing sites across the state. The processor takes it from there, processing the meat into healthy venison burgers and donating it to area food banks. Indiana Hunt for Hunger pays the processing fees, so there is no extra cost to the hunter.
A list of participating vendors is posted at on.IN.gov/huntforhunger.
