Ronnie Ritter, executive director of Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry (AHFH) said that funding cuts will affect their donations for the 2011-12 hunting season. Among the changes:
- AHFH will no longer be able to pay for the field dressing of deer to the processor. “The hunter will have to field dress and skin the deer prior to delivery, or be willing to pay the processor their current charges for field dressing and skinning,” said Ritter.
- AHFH and the participating processors will be asking the hunters to donate packages of meat out of their processed deer. “This will allow hunters that can’t donate an entire deer to participate by donating the venison burger that they do not want or can give away to the program. No package is too large or too small. The only requirement is that it is burger. We anticipate this will be the largest source of growth for donations this year, “according to Ritter.
He added that AHFH has many new processors who have joined the program this year. The complete processor list for the 2011-12 hunting season can be found at the organization’s website, ArkansasHunters.org.
“It is also wise to contact the processor prior to showing up to determine if they take whole deer, their fees for field dressing/skinning, and their hours of operation, ” said Ritter. Processors wanting to be added to the list should contact Ritter at 501-282-0006.
Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry has provided approximately 1.5 million meals to the state’s most needy citizens. The success of the program depends upon the generosity of hunters to donate venison and other wild game, cooperation from meat processors throughout the state, support from local food distribution organizations, and the financial contributions of businesses and other citizens. Tax-deductible donations may also be made at the website.
