The Hunters for the Hungry program hopes sports men and women will keep them in mind as they head to the woods this season, and help feed Maine's food insecure.

Every time I talk about this organization, I'm reminded of my grandfather. My Dad's father, Roy Campbell was a big sportsman. He'd rather spend a day in the woods or on a lake than just about anything. We'd go to visit, and he'd have a huge mess of trout for us to enjoy. And it wasn't until he was in a nursing home and refused a fish dinner that we realized, he didn't LIKE seafood! He loved fishing, but he'd give them all away to friends and neighbors. Same goes for the deer he'd kill. It was just he and my grandmother, so they'd keep what they wanted, and then all the neighbors got a little venison for their freezers. This group would have been perfect for him!

Hunters for the Hungry takes donations of wild game, processes it, and then distributes it to local food pantries. And the coolest part, to me, is that they keep the donation as close to the hunter's community as they can. So, if someone from Skowhegan kills a deer, they'll find food pantries or homeless shelters in that area who can use the meat.

I chatted with Jason Hall, Director of Hunters for the Hungry, who told me that a 12-year-old girl got her second deer on Youth Hunting Day this month. She told her grandfather that she'd heard a lot about Hunters for the Hungry and wanted to donate the entire 117 pound, 4-point buck. And she did!

Jason said they take most wild game, and work with game wardens and State Police to also take animals that get hit along the highway. That animal will feed a whole lot of people when the soup kitchen puts it in stews and shepherd's pies.

So, if you love to hunt, but don't like the meat...or if you have more meat that you can use, call 1-888-4-DEER-ME. That's 1-888-433-3763, and arrangements will be made for a processor to get your catch to people in need. For more information, log onto the Maine Hunters for the Hungry's Facebook page. And happy hunting!

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