Oct 23, 2014 3 min read

Looking to donate food items to your local food bank? Venison is a sought-after option.

Thanks to monetary gifts from the state Game Commission and other organizations, donating meat has never been easier. Hunters Sharing the Harvest, the state’s venison donation program, eliminated the $15 processing fee asked of hunters who choose to donate the deer they harvest.

Steve Soff, the director of development for Greater Washington County Food Bank in Eighty Four, said the program is extremely beneficial to needy families throughout the county. This year marks the fourth year the food bank participated in the program.

“Through the program we received thousands of pounds of deer meat last year,” Soff said. “With the fee being taken off, I’m sure participation will go up.”

Soff said venison is a lean meat high in protein.

“One of our goals is to provide food high in nutrition,” he said. “Protein keeps you fuller longer. It’s a very healthy meat.”

And it’s highly sought after. Soff said the food bank supplies more than 30 food pantries throughout the county. All of them accept venison, and some even inquire about deliveries. John Gulick, the coordinator for the Monongahela Food Pantry, said of the 31 families served in his area, 18 requested venison.

“I give it out until it is gone,” Gulick said. “It is very popular. There is a lot you can do with ground venison.”

Gulick was unsure of how much venison he gets yearly. A most recent delivery included meat from 17 deer.

The program has been in place since the early 1990s. According to the HSH website, an averaged-size deer provides enough meat for 200 meals. Portions of a deer or a whole deer can be donated at participating processors.

Washington County processing participants include: Bobecks’s Deer Processing, 139 Craig Road, Monongahela; Lenik Deer Processing, 204 Railroad St., Finleyville; and Shuba’s Processing, 1116 Allison Hollow Road, Washington.

Steve Shuba, owner of Shuba’s Processing, said he’s participated in the program for about eight years. He’s witnessed an increase in participation every year.

“In the beginning, we probably had about 5 percent participation from the hunters. But now, that’s doubled,” he said.

He said the majority of the hunters he deals with donate their entire deer. Shuba then processes the meat and takes it to the food bank.

“I usually take up a couple thousand pounds at least,” he said.

He believes the program is beneficial.

“In the past, a lot of venison went to waste,” he said. “Now it goes to people who need it.”

For more information, visit the Greater Washington Food Bank website at gwcfb.org.