With the deer hunting season around the corner, Penn’s Woods are sure to be filled with sights of bright orange and the reports of gunfire as hunters seek out the prize of savory venison or that monster buck.
With the surplus of deer meat that is sure to come, however, there also comes the opportunity to give back through the Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) program.
For 23 years, HSH has distributed processed deer venison donated by hunters to over 4,000 local soup kitchens, pantries, missions and needy families, according to a press release released in September. The deer are processed into ground venison by official HSH inspected meat processors, and the program’s yearly goal is to deliver 100,000 pounds of venison, enough for more 750,000 meals.
This year, the HSH program has announced “several major changes” that will make donating deer easier for hunters, made possible because of many organizations, including several major local natural gas companies. The largest of these changes include the dropping of a $15 deposit required by donors to assist in the cost of processing.
“The co-pay was necessary for many years when sufficient funds to reimburse butchers were unpredictable,” the press release stated. “Thanks to major gifts by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, CONSOL Energy and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, along with exceptional yearly support of many major corporate sponsors, partners, sportsmen’s clubs and thousands of individuals, the registered non-profit’s funding base has stabilized sufficiently for the HSH board of directors to take this action.”
CONSOL Energy, which also issued a press release announcing the company’s partnership with HSH, will underwrite the cost of all venison processing in the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
“CONSOL Energy understands the value of Hunters Sharing the Harvest and we are proud to once again support this worthwhile cause,” CONSOL’s Vice President of Government and External Relations Tommy Johnson said. “This cooperative program eliminates the extra cost to hunters, therefore generating the incentive for more hunters to donate extra deer. More donations means more meals provided to those in need in our community.”
Because of last year’s successful partnership, CONSOL and HSH expanded the coverage of meat processors to include more counties.
“Last season was the first year for the CONSOL/HSH partnership, resulting in an additional 684 deer yielding 24,800 pounds of extra venison burger distributed to area food banks and providing over 90,000 meals,” HSH Executive Director John Plowman said. “Those results are clearly proof the concept worked even beyond expectations.”
However, CONSOL Energy was not the only natural gas company to contribute to the HSH program. Companies all across the Marcellus Shale region are pitching in to help HSH fight hunger.
“Hunger-related causes are important to us, especially during the holiday season, which is why we are the largest supporter of hunger-related causes in Washington County,” Range Resources spokesperson Mark Windle said. “So supporting the Hunters Share the Harvest was a great fit because many of our employees, contractors and leaseholders are avid sportsmen and women.”
In the northeastern part of the shale play, Cabot Oil and Gas as well as Chief Oil and Gas will be expanding their respective contributions to the program.
“Chief Oil and Gas has been a financial contributor to the HSH program in the past, donating $3,000 last year, and our role is growing again this year,” said Chief Director of Public Affairs Daria Fish, who also became a HSH board member to help grow the program. “Our employees have donated deer to the program in the past and we encourage them to contribute again this year.”
“(Cabot) was approached by Executive Director John Plowman to participate in the program, and we were encouraged by others around us to get involved as well, so it seemed like a great fit for us,” Cabot spokesperson Bill desRosiers said. “This is now our second year with the program and we will be utilized to essentially help with the costs primarily in Susquehanna and Wyoming counties. We encourage our employees, as well as the employees of our sister company, GDS, to participate in the program and donate their deer.
“HSH is a relatively new program for our corner of the region, and we’re delighted to work with it,” desRosiers continued. “It’s very exciting to see the entire oil and gas industry coming together for this cause. Protecting the environment has always been a key focus of ours and we’ll continue to see to that as hunters enjoy the woods this season and share their bounty.”
Johnny Williams can be reached at (570) 265-1639; email: [email protected].
