Sportsmen Against Hunger fills protein need for food pantries - Bismarck Tribune

Sportsmen Against Hunger fills protein need for food pantries - Bismarck Tribune

Early Canada goose season began a couple weeks ago, and bow season for deer and pronghorns begins Friday. Hunters may be the most excited about the beginning of hunting season, but they aren’t the only ones.

The Sportsmen Against Hunger program allows hunters to take game they do not want or need to participating processors, where it will be prepared and given to food pantries across the state. Last year, 2,000 pounds of wild game went to food pantries for distribution to those without enough to eat. That was down significantly from 2014, when 9,063 pounds went to food pantries. 

“It’s a blessing to get,” said Dawnell Hettich, housing and nutrition coordinator for Community Action Partnership in Bismarck.

Community Action has administered the program since 2004, starting with deer donations, said programs specialist Martha Moe. Over the years, more types of game have been added. Sportsmen Against Hunger has received elk and bison meat from population reductions in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and hunters have donated from numerous other animals, including moose and geese. Moe said a hunter recently contacted her about donating antelope.

“We accept quite a few other animals as long as they are legally taken,” she said.

Community Action helps hunters find participating processors where they can take the game they do not want to keep for themselves. Community Action pays for the processing, and the meat is sent to food pantries in the community.

The meat fills an important need that often goes unfilled. When people donate to food pantries, they often give canned or boxed goods — things that aren’t going to spoil, Moe said. What doesn’t make it to the shelves and freezers often are sources of protein.

“We are always short on meat,” Hettich said.

The food pantry has limited funds and largely relies on what they get from the Great Plains Food Bank, according to Hettich. When they do have money available, they rarely buy meat because of the expense. What meat they do buy tends to be hot dogs or other less expensive options.

The meat donated through Sportsmen Against Hunger provides a food source many people wouldn’t get otherwise.

“We can actually give them protein and something more substantial,” Hettich said.

At the Bismarck Emergency Food Pantry, some patrons become excited when asked if they’d be interested in the game meats from Sportsmen Against Hunger, said Gail Leary, co-chair of pantry.

“Any kind of meat for most people is going to be a good addition to their diet,” she said. “Most people will take it if we have it available.”

Leary said the Bismarck Emergency Food Pantry has been having to buy quite a bit of food lately, as donations often trail off in the summer.

“We’ve been getting more people coming than in the past,” she said.

They appreciate donations of food and household goods, as well as money. Donations usually pick up as the holidays approach, and the pantry has been receiving some garden produce, Leary said.

Moe said she hopes that rebounding wildlife numbers and corresponding increases in tags help bring the pounds of meat donated through Sportsmen Against Hunger back up. This year, 49,000 deer tags were issued, compared to 43,275 tags last year. She also expects an elk reduction in the park will help the program.