State Legislators Encourage Deer Donations
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Opening shots for rifle-hunting season will fill the air this weekend, and state lawmakers hope that the deer harvested will fill the plates of those in need. “I decided to put together a little competition between my fellow legislators in Nashville to see which one of us could have the greatest number of deer donated on the opening day of deer season in Tennessee to Hunters for the Hungry,” said State Representative Vance Dennis, a Republican from Savannah. The first annual Hunters for the Hungry Legislative Challenge has raised enough funds to process enough venison for almost 20,000 meals. “It’s just a win-win situation,” said Vance. “We’ve got a very abundant and healthy, white-tail deer herd in our state and we’ve got lots of sportsmen who are generous and are willing to contribute the time, the energy and the funds, and the animals they harvest to the program.” Kurt Brown is one of those sportsmen. “I’d be glad to,” said Brown. “I usually fill the freezer up, and anything other than that goes to somebody else.” Venison donations from local hunters will go to local processing locations, and wind up at local food pantries and soup kitchens. “I have always thought community comes before anything,” said M&M Meat Market owner Mikki Patterson. “Your family, you community, your God. That’s just how I’ve always been. We’ve got to take care of one another.” As for taking care of the winner of the friendly competition? A venison dinner and a trophy. “There’s not going to be a lot of value in the meal or the trophy,” said Dennis. “But the bragging rights will go a long way.” For a complete list of participating Hunters for the Hungry processors, log onto www.tnwf.org/hunters-for-the-hungry.
