Hunters Helping The Hungry

Generous hunters are donating deer to the Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH) Program, which provides thousands of pounds of venison to needy families across the state.

The 2020 season will mark the 29th consecutive year the Division of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Resources Section has sponsored the HHH Program. Since the inception of the program, hunters, financial contributors and participating processors have enabled the processing of 27,066 deer. With their generosity and the assistance of two area food banks, 1,026,593 pounds of highly nutritious meat has been provided to needy families and individuals throughout West Virginia.

Hunters who decide to participate in the program take their deer to a participating meat processor, where the processor grinds, packages and freezes the venison. The Mountaineer Food Bank (Gassaway) and Facing Hunger Foodbank (Huntington), both members of Feeding America, pick up the venison and distribute it to the needy through their statewide network of 600 charitable food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, shelters, community centers, orphanages, missions, and churches.

Click here to view the participating West Virginia Meat Processors

West Virginia is fortunate to have the generous support of its hunting community. The HHH Program has the potential to donate thousands of pounds of venison to the needy on an annual basis, making it a worthwhile program. However, the total cost of this program has averaged $55,808.29 over the past 7 years. There is considerable interest in the program, but the DNR is restricted from using sportsmen’s license dollars to fund the program. Therefore, the DNR must rely on the generosity of concerned individuals, businesses, conservation organizations, foundations, and churches.

Two of the largest sources of fundraising include the annual “Governor’s One-Shot Hunt”, as well as the annual “Share the Harvest Sunday” fundraiser. The Governor’s One-Shot Hunt, an antlerless deer hunt that began in 2007, provides a source of venison and funding to the program. The West Virginia Council of Churches holds an annual “Share the Harvest Sunday” during the first Sunday in November. On that day, approximately 3,000 participating churches ask their congregations to donate $1, $5, or any amount they can afford to the HHH Program. Any church that wishes to join in this effort can contact the Mountaineer Food Bank at (304) 364–5518 or the DNR District 3 Office at (304) 924–6211. (Click here to view Share the Harvest Sunday letter.) 

Interested individuals, churches, organizations and businesses can help to insure the perpetuation of the HHH Program through a generous monetary donation that can be made at any time. Checks and money orders should be made out to Hunters Helping the Hungry and mailed to:

Hunters Helping the Hungry
WV Division of Natural Resources
163 Wildlife Road
French Creek, WV 26218

For more information regarding the HHH Program, please contact Judy Channell at (304) 924–6211 or Judy.A.Channell@wv.gov

Table 1. Hunters Helping the Hungry Annual Report

*Costs associated with processing and distribution vary from year-to-year due to both the annual harvest and number of deer donated to the HHH Program