INDIANA, (WOWO): Indiana hunters fed starving Hoosiers by donating thousands of pounds of venison to local food pantries.

Officials with the DNR say hunters donated nearly 67-thousand pounds of venison during the 2013-2014 hunting season. That’s equivalent to about 267,000 meals donated through the Sportsmen Benevolence Fund created in 2008.

State funding exists to handle the processing fees for the donated venison.

One of the sponsors of the bill that secured that funding says the program allows hunters to continue hunting while providing much-needed meals to Indiana families.