West Virginia Wildlife from Eyewitness News

Hunters Helping The Hungry

The holidays are right around the corner, and so is your chance to take part in the season of giving. The annual hunters helping the hungry program is in it's 14th year. Thanks to you, half a million servings of deer meat has been given to families that really need the help.

November 2, 2005
Reporter: Patrick McMurtry
Videographer: Brad Rice

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It's that time of the year again, deer season, and that means your chance to take part in the hunters helping the hungry program.

Father Scott says:
"It's a win-win progarm. When I first heard about it, I thought is was a no-brainer. It's a program where hunters, if they're just interested in taking a trophy, can with good conscious take that trophy and donate the carcass and meat to a good use."

The hunters helping the hungry is just that, a chance for hunters who have taken all the deer meat they want to donate their other deer to local food banks.

If you think about it, west virginians have been providing meat for needy neighbors since the pioneer days.

Father Scott says:
"In years past, you're right, neighbors took care of neighbors. The fact we knew who our neighbors were, we sat out on the porch and we knew who played in the streets and walked down the street. Today, we are kind of isolated and this program helps us get back in that spirit of neighborliness."
Every year area churches work independently to raise money to help fund the program.

Father Scott says:
"This program, which is called Share the Harvest, is available for all churches of all denominations and for all religious groups, synagogues, Islamic centers here in the state, to pick a Sunday between now and the end of the year to pick a Sunday and take up a collection to help this program."

A program that probably helps someone you know or see every day.

Even if you don't hunt, you can still help. Hunters helping the hungry relies on private donations to keep the program running.