In 1991, the Hunters for the Hungry program was started in Virginia. The mission of the organization was simple: to match Virginia’s rich history of hunting with people who are in need of food.

In its first year of operation, Hunters for the Hungry collected, processed and distributed 33,000 pounds of venison. In 2010, the organization distributed 407,796 pounds of meat and to date has given away more than 5.5 million pounds, which represents more than 22 million servings of food to those who need it most.

However, due to a substantial decline in the deer harvest last year, the amount collected and distributed was the lowest it had been in 14 years.

While Suffolk is not among the top municipalities for hunting in Virginia, the city regularly contributes a couple of thousand deer to the total take each year. Suffolk’s take reached a high of 2,684 deer in 2010, with a low of 1,878 in 2012 and 2,181 animals harvested in 2014.

This program presents local hunters not only with an opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the sport they love, but also to help provide for others in a meaningful way.

If you are a hunter and are interested in contributing to this most worthy of causes, we would encourage you to visit the group’s website at www.h4hungry.org. There you will find participating locations for donating meat and other ways to contribute to the program.