Deer hunters’ donations are more important this year than ever

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Amid the loss of federal SNAP benefits and the federal government shutdown, the always important Hunters Helping the Hungry program in West Virginia may be into its most important year in history.

Food banks across West Virginia are bracing for what they anticipate will be a huge influx of new customers in need of food to feed their families. Each year, the donated venison of West Virginia hunters becomes the largest red meat contribution of the year for the food banks and is a highly sought after product among those in need. Hunters can drop off their deer after it is checked-in at a participating meat processor where it’s butchered and the entire deer is ground and parsed in two-pound packages. The meat is picked up by the Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway or the Fac