As I pen these words, there are almost 3 million New Yorkers and 2 million Pennsylvanians at risk of food insecurity from the government shutdown and suspension of SNAP benefits. The NYS DEC is encouraging hunters to step up and help out with venison donations. The PA Game Commission encourages hunters to do the same through Hunters Sharing the Harvest.

An organization called Feeding New York State partners with the DEC every year to provide donated venison to families without enough food. The amount donated is quite substantial at between 50,000 and 70,000 pounds annually. That’s a lot. But we can do better this year because of the greater need.

Feeding New York State has a website at feedingnys.org/hunters where you can get information. Any legally harvested deer can be donated. It must be tagged with a paper tag for the processor to be able to accept it. If you have e-tagged the deer, the paper tag can be hand written with your name, DEC ID number and the confirmation number from the HuntFishNY app.

Please call the processor ahead of time to make arrangements for dropping off the deer. You must fill out the log book indicating your desire to donate it. Hunters are asked to let the processor know the method and type of ammunition used. The venison is then provided to various food pantries and food banks and distributed to folks in need.

There are 38 processors listed on the website. The two closest ones in our area are Deerserto’s Butcher Shop, LLC (I know them as Deserto’s historically) in Middletown at (845) 733-1676 and The Chop Shop in Delhi at (607) 832-4878.

The Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) program has a website at sharedeer.org where our friends across the Delaware can find information about donating venison to the needy in PA. Over 100,000 pounds were donated last year and over 3 million pounds since inception in 1991.

The nearest processor in Pennsylvania is Smokin Joe’s Meat & Deli located in Wayne County in Jefferson Twp at (570) 840-1035. Many others are listed on the website.

I enjoy eating venison. But I sometimes seem to have an extra tag depending on my luck during the season. I can only eat so much. I sometimes give venison away to friends, but it’s rarely about need and more about them wanting to enjoy some.

This year, with the SNAP situation, I encourage my fellow deer hunters to think about those less fortunate than ourselves. We often take food for granted. If your luck is good and you have the opportunity to take more deer than you need, please consider taking one to a processor in the program and giving it to the hungry. Let’s all make an effort to donate some venison to help out. Thank you.

Let’s all enjoy the outdoors!

John S. Van Etten is the current president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.