Serve Community by Donating to Hunters Helping the Hungry

Grider was with friends on a drive that went through the outskirts of town, and he spotted a problem immediately.

"We were driving through the suburbs, and you could see clear from the road to the back of a subdivision that was probably 200 yards to the wood line," he said. "My friend said, 'Man, it's amazing they can keep these woods so clean.' I asked what they thought that was. And they thought it was an effort by county officials. I told them it was because they had such a high deer population that they are eating everything they can reach, even standing on their hind legs. They said, 'That's really crazy. We see deer all the time, and we never thought to connect those dots.'"

Grider also pointed out that people are really focusing on where their food comes from and how it is prepared.

"One of the reasons people say they approve of hunting is for food," he said. "This program really highlights the connection between hunting and food. This gives hunters the opportunity to provide a service to their community and have a positive impact on the overall perceptions of hunting."

Donated deer meat is processed into ground venison, packaged and frozen, ready to be distributed to the food banks. There is no charge to the hunter for processing the deer. Processors are now reimbursed at $2 per pound of venison, up from the previous $1 per pound.

Food banks across the state receive the venison, which is then distributed to food pantries in their areas. Protein is in high demand, especially ground meat, which can be used in a variety of dishes like spaghetti, chili, meat loaf, stews and patties. Those who get the meat and have never had venison learn quickly how delicious and nutritious it is and are always coming back for more, according to the pantries.

The HHH program has been under Grider's supervision for the past three years, and he said it wouldn't be successful without the help of Jennifer Dilly, an administrative support assistant who has worked with the program for numerous years.

"Jennifer handles the clerical component of the program, communicating with the processors and the food banks, processing paperwork and processing invoices to make sure the processors are reimbursed," Grider said. "She's instrumental in making the program run smoothly."

Grider said HHH needs more processors to participate in the program with notable holes in coverage in parts of the state. He asks hunters who know processors that are not a part of the program to encourage the processors to join the effort.

"All of south Alabama from Dothan to Mobile does not have any participating processors, and there's nothing in the northeast areas of the state," he said. "There are still opportunities for processors to join the program. It's not too late. Food banks are in need of protein all over the state."

Processors can call (334) 242-3467 for more information or to sign on as a participating processor or contact Dilly at [email protected].

"The ecological benefits, the social benefits, the nutritional benefits - there are a lot of good reasons to have this program," Grider added.

Visit www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/hunters-helping-hungry for more information and an interactive map of participating processors and food banks.

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