In 1991, the Hunters for the Hungry program was started in Virginia. The mission of the organization was simple; to match Virginia’s rich history of hunting with people who are in need of food. In its first year of operation, Hunters for the Hungry collected, processed and distributed 33,000 pounds of venison. In 2010, the organization distributed 407,796 pounds of meat and to date has given away over 5.5 million pounds, which represents over 22 million servings of food to those who need it most. However, due to a substantial decline in the deer harvest last year, the amount collected and distributed was the lowest it had been in 14 years.

Southampton County is routinely one of the top localities in the state for the number of deer harvested annually, ranking fifth in 2013 with 5,656 and third in 2014 with 4,820. This presents local hunters not only with an opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the sport they love, but to help provide for others in a meaningful way.

If you are a hunter and are interested in contributing to this most worthy of causes, we would encourage you to visit the group’s website at www.h4hungry.org. There you will find participating locations for donating meat and other ways to contribute to the program.