Hunters Sharing the Harvest is Pennsylvania’s charitable venison donation program for hunters who share their extra venison via a statewide network of participating butchers to food banks.

Participating butchers, who are paid for their services through monetary donations, coordinate the meat deliveries and work with local food banks.

The food banks redistribute the venison to more than 4,000 local food assistance provider organizations such as food pantries, missions, homeless shelters, Salvation Army facilities and churches, as well as needy families.

According to program data, there are 1.4 million families in Pennsylvania in need of assistance.

The program provides an excess of 750,000 meals annually to help feed the hungry.

According to the program website, participating Butler County butchers include: Bim Boloney in Petrolia, Huff’s Custom Meats in Butler, Ifft Turkey Farm in Evans City, McKruit Meat Packing in Cabot, Rome’s Meat in Summit Township, TA Giger Deer Processing in Valencia and Wright’s Deer Processing, Saxonburg.

For more information, visit the Hunters Sharing the Harvest link on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s webpage, pgc.state.pa.us.