The crisp days of autumn mean meat for the freezer for many Montanans, and hunters can share the bounty by participating in the Hunters Against Hunger program through the Montana Food Bank Network.
Hunters can participate in two ways. They can donate financially, as well as drop off their game animal (with the tag) to an approved local processor to turn into burger and distribute to the local charitable food organizations. The program wouldn’t be successful without both of the pieces in place.
“When a hunter puts in for a permit, they can make a contribution for Hunters Against Hunger,” said Gayle Carlson, CEO for the Montana Food Bank Network. The fees are technically collected by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, but they are allocated specifically, and used exclusively, for this program.
She said they collect around $60,000 to $70,000 each year, which Carlson said goes a long way in processing the roughly 40,000 pounds of burger. The processors are vetted by meeting specific USDA requirements, along with keeping their fat content and costs at an approved level.
After the meat is processed, she said the game is picked up by regional agencies. It’s truly a ground level effort.
“The donors can be assured it goes local,” she said.[…]
Hunting is a time honored tradition in Montana to provide meat for the freezer, but even more importantly, as Bruce Auchly, the information and education manager at Region 4 Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, pointed out, “Hunting is a management tool. It allows us to manage species. That’s the point of hunting.”
It also provides a means to make the best use of the game even if there is more than a family can use themselves. “If you have a family with several hunters in it and everyone wants to hunt, how do you say no?,” he said. If everyone is successful, more people can benefit.
And the beauty of this program is this program is it is run on the generosity of hunters, both in Montana and those buying licenses from out of the state.
“There is no impact on the state (budget),” explained Carlson. She said the program was approved by the legislature 2 terms ago, and it is going into its fifth season with a shining record of providing many meals for Montanan’s.