As businesses and individuals struggle through another year of the pandemic and its trickle-down effects, there exists a small army of volunteers operating behind the scenes to help put food on the table for those in need.

A news release described how these volunteers help improve the lives of thousands of residents throughout Pike County.

Food pantries accept donations from individuals and businesses and then disseminate those goods to families that have reached out for some assistance.

Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) has been doing its part. Since 1991, HSH has coordinated the processing and distribution of donated deer meat from hunters and municipal herd reduction sources to hungry people throughout Pennsylvania. An average-sized deer will provide enough high-protein, low-fat meat for about two hundred meals.

Ron Tussel is the Pike County coordinator for HSH. “Our network of food pantries is key to helping me put many pounds of hunter-donated venison on the tables of our residents. This season my son came home to hunt the late archery season with me, and I set a goal to procure a mature doe that I would donate to the program. My success, thanks to our newest processor, Big Time Deer Processing in Canadensis, will put about 160 servings of lean venison on the plates of neighbors in need.”

His delivery run across the county is about 125 miles in total, he said, “and through some great connections, I have been able to deliver thousands of pounds of meat to Pike County residents in need for the past several years.”

More than 1.6 million Pennsylvanians are classified as food-insecure, and with the recent economic downturn, the need and requests for food assistance continue to grow. HSH program’s goal is to channel about 100,000 pounds of processed venison annually through the state’s food banks.

For more information about HSH, visit https://sharedeer.org/.