New Jersey's Hunters Helping the Hungry was featured on CNN's Giving in Focus: 12 Days of Goodness in December, 2009. Visit CNN’s website for an online version of the show at www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/12/21/gif2.hunters.helping.hungry.cnn?iref=allsearch.

Other Giving in Focus videos can be found at www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/giving.in.focus/index.html.

The Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH) is a non-profit corporation working with regional food banks which enables hunters to donate venison while addressing the overpopulation of deer in New Jersey. Hunters participate in the program by donating deer through an approved butcher.

In 2001, HHH received a legislative grant of $95,000 and in 2003, the Division of Fish and Wildlife provided $50,000 for a matching grant to keep the program running. Since then, HHH has relied on private donations.

Hunters in northwestern New Jersey may donate deer to the NORWESCAP Food Bank in Phillipsburg while hunters in eastern New Jersey may donate deer to the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in Neptune. New this year is the participation of the Foodbank of South Jersey. Processing fees are paid to the butchers from a fund consisting of donations and grants and a donation made by each hunter donating a deer.

After processing, donated venison is distributed by the NORWESCAP, Ocean/Monmouth and South Jersey food banks to over 400 needy feeding charities throughout the state and to America's Second Harvest Food Banks statewide.

In the 2011-2012 seasons more than 29,100 lbs. of venison provided through the program to those in need! Since the program's inception in 1997 hunters have donated over 423,100 pounds of venison to the Food Banks, providing more than 1 million servings since the beginning.

Butchers who participate in the Hunters Helping the Hungry program receive $65 to process the donated deer. Currently, hunters who donate deer to feed the hungry must contribute either $10 (for field-dressed deer weighing 50 lbs. or more) or $25 (for deer under 50 lbs.) toward that processing fee. If the program's funding runs out, hunters who donate deer will have to cover the entire cost for meat processing.

Hunters should check on funding availability before harvesting a deer intended for donation by visiting www.huntershelpingthehungry.org or by calling the Division of Fish and Wildlife at 609-292-6686. Donations to Hunters Helping the Hungry can be mailed to HHH, P.O. Box 587, Lebanon, NJ 08833 or by going to the HHH and donating through Paypal.

Participating Butchers

Please contact the following participating butchers (who meet all State game and health laws) before delivering your deer: