JANESVILLE — The ink’s barely dry on the brochure, but the Footville Meat Market already has gotten a deer donated to Target Hunger, the re-invention of the venison donation program formerly run by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Target Hunger’s goal is to raise enough money to pay for the processing of more than 2,000 deer so the meat can be sent to food pantries for distribution to southern Wisconsin families in need.
“This is another good way, particularly in this economic environment, to find food resources for people who are struggling,” said Lisa Furseth, executive director of Community Action of Rock and Walworth Counties.
Footville Meat Market, 280 N. Gilbert St., Footville, and Bob Black Meat Processing, 130 Harrison St., Delavan, are the only two processors the Target Hunger brochure lists in Rock and Walworth Counties that will accept donated venison.
Furseth said Community Action will work as the link between the processors and the pantries. The local non-profit joins community action organizations in Madison and Dodgeville to get donated venison on the tables of families in need.
Since 2004, hunters have donated nearly 7,500 deer, which became 300,000 pounds of venison for hungry families. The DNR started the program in 2004 to prevent wasting the increased number of deer that the DNR wanted to be harvested to reduce chronic wasting disease in southern Wisconsin.
But the DNR was not able to pay for the cost of processing and testing deer in 2007, said Michelle Friedrich, Target Hunger program coordinator. The program limped along on donations from community actions, food pantries, processors, hunting clubs and hunters who paid to have their deer donated, Friedrich said.
But the 584 deer donated last year was far below the normal number donated, she said.
Target Hunger will accept cash donations from individuals or companies that want to help cover the cost of processing and testing the venison. Donations may be made directly to local community action offices.
TO HELP
Two local meat processors will accept deer for Target Hunger, a donation program that will distribute venison to families through food pantries.
-- Footville Meat Market, 280 N. Gilbert St., Footville. Call (608) 876-6323.
-- Bob Black Meat Processing, 130 Harrison St., Delavan. Call (262) 728-3985.
To make a cash donation to support the processing and testing of the donated meat, call Community Action at (608) 755-2470.