ALBION, Ill. – Illinois Extension serving Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, and Wayne counties marked the end of the 2025-2026 deer hunting season with the success of the local Hunters Feeding Illinois program. Over 2,600 pounds of venison were donated to food pantries this fall and winter to support food access within local communities.
Hunters Feeding Illinois provides food pantries with ground venison from hunters who’ve donated their legally harvested deer. Illinois Extension facilitates this program in partnership with participating meat processors and with the support of donors, program partners, and deer hunters.
“This program is really all about making connections,” said SNAP-Ed Educator Alizah Harper, who spearheaded the program. “Hunters want to give back, local donors are willing to cover processing costs, and food pantries need quality protein. When these efforts come together, it helps meet local needs and ensures families in our communities have additional access to nutritious food.”
This year’s partnering processors, Charlie’s Deer Processing and Smokehouse in Bridgeport and Legacy Meats in Sumner, processed a total of 83 deer donations during the deer hunting seasons. The capacity to accept 83 deer donations was made possible by monetary donations, which covered the processing cost of each deer.
In total, 2,698 pounds of ground venison, which is an estimated 10,792 servings, were delivered to five food pantries within the Feeding Illinois food bank network in Lawrence, Richland, and Wabash counties. Extension also provided resources such as cookbooks, educational handouts, hot pads, and meat mashers to help food pantry patrons incorporate venison into their meals.
“Hunters Feeding Illinois is a powerful example of how Illinois Extension brings communities together to meet real needs,” said County Extension Director Tara Buerster. “Through the generosity of local hunters, community partners, and donors, alongside our partnering processors, we were able to turn a successful hunting season into nutritious food for families who need it most across our area.”
To learn more about Hunters Feeding Illinois, visit go.illinois.edu/HuntersFeedingIllinois. For questions about the local program, contact the Edwards County Extension Office by calling 618-445-2934.
SOURCE: Alizah Harper, SNAP-Ed educator, University of Illinois Extension
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.