by Rebecca Berkley
Director of Communications and Marketing
East Texas Food Bank
On a crisp cool morning, Chuck pushed his buggy through the aisles at the East Texas Food Bank Deep East Texas Resource Center in Lufkin, looking over the selections of food at the pantry. As he came to the meat cooler, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that deer meat was available. “What a treat to have some fresh venison,” said Chuck. “I will mix this up with my vegetables to make a delicious stew.”
The East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) serves over 151,000 households in 26 counties each year. Neighbors like Chuck depend on ETFB’s 200 pantry partners, feeding programs and resource centers, for a little extra help with groceries to stretch their dollars.
“So many of the people we serve look forward to receiving fresh venison each year and we are grateful that so many hunters give back to this important program,” said David Emerson, CEO of the ETFB. “Currently 1 in 7 East Texans, including 1 in 5 children, are facing hunger. We are serving over 27 million meals a year to fight food insecurity. Food donations as well as monetary donations are critical as we continue our mission to fight hunger and feed hope in East Texas.”
Hunters for the Hungry has provided over 10 million servings of venison to hungry Texans. The program fights hunger and promotes environmental stewardship by distributing donated venison to Texans in need.
“Hunters can drop off legally tagged, field-dressed white-tailed or mule deer to participating meat processors,” said Ross Sinicropi, food resource manager with Feeding Texas. “The partner processors prepare the venison for distribution and there’s no cost to the hunter.”
The ETFB has three processors that hunters can bring their deer to in East Texas if they would like to participate in the program.
TFR Country Store (Carnes)
20601 Hwy 110 South – Troup
Massingills Meat Market
3728 U.S. Hwy 69 North – Lufkin
FTF Deer Processors
1258 Palmer Drive – Hooks
Processors can participate by contacting the East Texas Food Bank at 903-597-3663 to sign up. Prior to hunting season, partners receive donation receipts, chub packs for donated venison and promotional materials. However, there are some restrictions. Hunters for the Hungry only accepts deer.
“Some hunters want to donate feral hogs as they are in abundance in Texas but due to federal restrictions, the program is not allowed to accept hog meat for distribution,” added Sinicropi. Texas Parks and Wildlife Statues & Regulations state that salvaging highway kill is illegal. Also the program only works with fresh venison.
As more Americans are seeking out healthier foods, people are discovering that venison is not only a high quality, lean protein source, but is also low in calories. “Deer meat has very little saturated fat or cholesterol and is an excellent source of minerals and vitamins,” said Kinsey Thompson, ETFB Nutrition Education Manager. “The frozen meat is raw and needs to be cooked. You can substitute venison in almost any hamburger, beef, or lamb recipes.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s analysis of venison reports that every 100-gram serving of venison provides 21 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, and zero sugars or fiber while still providing nutrients and minerals such as iron, riboflavin, niacin, and more.
The general white-tailed deer season begins November 4th and ends during January based on your county, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife. Hunting regulations can be found on their website at tpwd.texas.gov.
“A hunting license allows a hunter to harvest up to five white-tailed deer and two mule deer, dependent on the county or counties in which one hunts, for the upcoming season,” said Immanuel Salas, R3 coordinator of hunting and shooting sports with Texas Parks & Wildlife. “There may be more opportunities to harvest additional deer if the property being hunted is engaged in the Managed Lands Deer Program. When individual hunters donate their harvests to a local Hunters for the Hungry processor, they are directly helping their neighbors. This not only feeds people, but also demonstrates one of the many ways that hunters are thoughtful and respectful of nonhunters. It also shows value for wildlife and the sustenance they provide. Every ethical hunter’s sense of sacrifice is overshadowed by the positive feelings of doing good.”
Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists conduct deer surveys each summer and fall to estimate deer populations and help determine future deer harvest regulations. The statewide white-tailed deer population is estimated to be about 5 million animals and about 336,500 of those deer are located in the Pineywoods of East Texas.
To learn more about Hunters for the Hungry visit EastTexasFoodBank.org/hunters.
