Local organizations to hold contest to feed hungry

The second-annual Community Deer Donation Drive will take place on Saturday at the Chocowinity Fire Department.

With deer season opening Saturday morning, riflemen and women have the opportunity to not only hit the woods for a leisurely shoot, but also help others in the process.

Shooters will have the option of dropping off their harvested deer between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. In a sort of symbiotic relationship, the animals will then be transported to Acre Station Meat Farm for processing and eventually distributed to Washington’s Eagle’s Wings Food Pantry, an affiliate of the Foodbank of Albemarle.

“We think it’s a great idea because we don’t always get in donations with a lot of protein like meats,” said Ann-Marie Montague, the executive director of Eagle’s Wings. “This is a wonderful food source because it’s very low in fat and is a very healthy meat. Every time we’ve gotten donations in the past like this, they’re always very favorited. We’re looking forward to having it be donated to us.”

The event is sponsored by the River Hills Archery Club and N.C. Hunters for Hungry, while garnering the support of local hunting clubs. Montague says the pantry’s patrons responded well to the drive and were thankful for the donations.

“They were very receptive of getting deer meat,” she said. “We’ve had some who had never had it before and were willing to try. Then you had those who didn’t want to. Either way, for the most part, we’ve had a very positive reception from our clients. Any one who has had good venison knows how good it can be.”

This year’s event will also have the larger payout than last year’s in the doe contest. Whoever drops off the biggest doe will receive a prize of $500. All deer must be legally harvested, reported and field dressed. In order to be eligible for the prize, hunters must pay $5 at the time of drop off.

With one in four children suffering from hunger on a daily basis in the United States, River Hills and Hunters for Hungry hope that the 160 meals one deer can provide will help chip away at that number.

For those who can’t be a part of the event on Saturday, hunters have the option of dropping off field dressed deer all season long (Oct. 18-Jan. 1) at the Old Ford Ruritan Club at the intersection of U.S. Highway 171 and 17 or directly at the Acre Station Meat Farm.