About the Program

Hunters Feeding Illinois provides food pantries with ground venison from hunters who've donated their legally harvested deer. The program is facilitated by Illinois Extension in partnership with Feeding Illinois, Southern Illinois Food Pantry Network, and Access Illinois Outdoors to support food security in Illinois communities. The success of the program relies on partnerships with participating meat processors and with the support of donors and deer hunters. 

The local program is facilitated by the five-county Extension unit serving Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, and Wayne counties. The program coincides with deer hunting seasons in Illinois, typically beginning Oct. 1 and concluding in mid-January. For an overview of the program across central and southern Illinois, visit go.illinois.edu/HuntersFeedingIllinois

Supporting the Local 2026-2027 Program

Whether you’re a deer hunter, community member, or local business, you can help provide venison to local families this year. The capacity to accept deer donations for the 2026-2027 program depends on financial contributions to cover deer processing costs. Processing costs $100 per deer. Since every donation is matched by Feeding Illinois, a $50 donation will process one deer. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made online or via check.

Online Donations: To donate online, visit donorbox.org/hunters-feeding-illinois. Donors are encouraged to select "write us a comment" and include Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, or Wayne County in the comment box, to ensure funds are applied to the local program. 

Donations via Check: Donations may also be made via check, payable to Hunters Feeding Illinois, and delivered to an Extension office in Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, or Wayne County. Checks may also be mailed to the Edwards County Extension office at 7 N. Fifth St., Albion, IL 62806. Donors are encouraged to include Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, or Wayne County on the memo line of a check to ensure funds are applied to the local program. 

Donating Your Deer

Deer hunters interested in donating a deer are asked to field-dress their whole, legally harvested deer, then contact one of the program’s participating processors to confirm donations are still being accepted. This year's partnering processors are:

• Charlie’s Deer Processing and Smokehouse in Bridgeport (618-945-3100)
• Legacy Meats in Sumner (618-936-4072) 

For more information about donating your deer, visit go.illinois.edu/HuntersFeedingIllinois and scroll down to the Frequently Asked Questions section.

2025-2026 Program Report

In its inaugural year, the five-county unit’s program received 83 deer donations, yielding 2,698 pounds of ground venison (which is an estimated 10,792 servings) for five food pantries within the Feeding Illinois food bank network in Lawrence, Richland, and Wabash counties. The unit thanks local processors Charlie’s Deer Processing and Smokehouse in Bridgeport and Legacy Meats in Sumner for partnering on the program.

Questions?

For more information about the local program, contact the Edwards County Extension Office at 618-445-2934.