A young woman who I have become friends with over the years is always very interested in what success we have had in field and stream.

She doesn’t really care about trophy animals or citations awarded, what she likes to hear is that I have a package of venison or walleye for you. Several years back, I offered her some fresh fish fillets and a box of Shore Lunch coating mix as a gift and she was sold on wild fish and game dishes.

She has tried various venison dishes including sausage, ground meat and other cuts. The versatility of using venison in spaghetti sauce, tacos, chili and numerous other dishes was a boon to her during lean economic times.

Even now, as she finishes her graduate degree in Speech Therapy, the extras that I can share help her family stretch their dollars.

In 1991, the Hunter’s Sharing the Harvest venison donation program was started. HSH has coordinated the processing and distribution of donated wild game from hunters and municipal herd reduction sources to hungry people throughout Pennsylvania.

An average sized deer can provide enough highly nutritious, low-cholesterol meat for 200 meals. This sportsmen-inspired community service outreach effectively channels this wholesome venison product into an integrated network of approved deer processors and food banks.

From its inception, HSH was founded as the signature mechanism for Pennsylvania hunters to demonstrate their own personal and compassionate decision for helping those low-income individuals and families with extra venison. HSH remains as the most effective social service program conduit for hunters and wildlife managers to directly make a difference.

More than 1.3 million Pennsylvanians are classified as living beneath the lowest income poverty level. In an average hunting season, the HSH program’s goal is to channel about 100,000 pounds of processed venison annually through the state’s 21 regional food banks, who then re-distribute to more than 3,000 local provider charities.

To get involved with the Hunters Sharing the Harvest, you can do so in many ways. You can make a monetary donation by participating with the Buck for the Pot campaign, which links you to a printable convenient coupon for tax-deductible money donations.

You can become a sponsor or donate a deer or part of a deer to HSH. Your donations can provide meals for many hungry people. A small donation of $10 can provide as many as 40 meals, while $50 can provide 200 meals.

For donations, a tax deductible check can be sent payable to: PA Hunters Sharing the Harvest and addressed to the Attention of John Plowman, Exec. Director 6780 Hickory Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17112 or call toll free (866)474-2141.

Local processors are accepting deer donations for the program. To help cover part of the processing costs, hunters are asked to contribute a minimum co-pay of $15 or more as charged by the butcher. This contribution is tax deductible.

Hunters may also donate elk, moose and caribou meat if handled by a licensed meat processor.

Local processors in and near Butler County are:

Armstrong County —Toy’s Deer Processing in Ford City 724-763-7070

Beaver County — Doug Peffers Deer Cutting in Elwood City 724-758-4976

Butler County — Bim’s Baloney Washington Twp. 724-894-2569, McKruit’s Custom Meat Cutting in Cabot 724-352-2988, Rome’s Meat & Deli in Butler 724-285-1236, TA Geiger Deer Processing in Valencia 724-898-2244

Mercer County — Minor Acres Packing Co. in Jackson Center 814-786-7852, and Liszka Meats in Greenville 724-588-4364

Several years back, I was with a hunting group that harvested four Bull Moose in Alberta, Canada. You really have no idea of how big a moose is and how much edible venison it can provide.

We were flying back to Pennsylvania, so the idea of carrying a ton of meat back on a plane as extra luggage was out of the question. We ended up bringing back 200 pounds of quality table fare per hunter.

The remainder of the venison was distributed to private citizens and food banks from our hunting camp area to the Edmonton Airport. It created quite a stir as the word was out that some crazy Americans were giving away packaged moose venison for free.

We know we didn’t want to waste the delicious meat and disrespect a wonderful game animal, so why not share the harvest!

Now you have your chance to do something that would make a hungry member of our community family have a better day by participating in Hunters Sharing the Harvest.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle