STATEWIDE — Hoosier deer hunters are being encouraged to share some of the deer they collect in order to help feed the hungry.

The Sportsmen’s Benevolence Fund, administered by the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources, provides grants to several organizations to pay for processing fees when hunters donate legally harvested deer.

Hunters who harvest a deer can drop off the field-dressed deer at a local participating processor. The processor will create venison burgers to distribute to food banks. The food banks then share the meat with soup kitchens and food pantries.

As a result of the 2020 deer hunting season, the Sportsmen’s Benevolence Fund provided the money to process more than 360 harvested deer that resulted in more than 20,650 pounds of venison being donated.

To find out how you can donate your harvested deer and find a local processor, visit the Sportsmen’s Benevolence Fund website, sbf.IN.gov.