Hunters Sharing the Harvest

An Opportunity for Woodland Owner Associations and Others

With the Pennsylvania deer season upon us I thought it was fitting to share with my readers a press release from the Woodland Owners of the Southern Alleghenies (WOSA).  It concerns a partnership thier members formed with Pennsylvania Hunters Sharing the Harvest.  WOSA wanted to share this to demonstrate an opportunity for outreach that other groups may be interested in taking part in.

WOSA DONATES TO HUNTERS SHARING THE HARVEST

Woodland Owners of the Southern Alleghenies (WOSA) has made a donation to Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) to pay the processing fees for deers donated to the HSH program, which helps to feed the less fortunate.  Hunters are encouraged to bring their deer to a participating processor and identify how much of the deer, a portion or the entire deer, they wish to donate.  The processor will render the meat and make it available to food banks throughout Bedford and Fulton counties through HSH.

Participating processors are Cessna's Butcher Shop, 3327 Main Road, Bedford (814) 847-2749; Emerick's Meats, 1966 Hyndman Rd, Hyndman (814) 842-6779; and Strait's Butcher Shop, 304 Possum Hollow Rd., Harrisonville (717) 377-9223.  To find a participating processor in your area click here.

More than 1.3 million Pennsylvanians are classified as living beneath the lowest-income poverty level, with the recent economy downturn only escalating the need and requests for food assistance.  Last year HSH coordinated the delivery of nearly 200,000 meals of venison to hungry Pennsylvanians.  An average-sized deer will provide enough highly-nutritious, low-cholesterol meat for 200 meals.  "This program is an excellent way to address the deer problem and to help the less fortunate," says WOSA President Ben Tresselt, Jr.  "We are pleased to have been part of this program for the past several years."

The HSH venison sharing program is recognized as one of the most successful among similar programs in the country.  In addition to WOSA, woodland owner associations in various counties throughout Pennsylvania are participating in the program.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Hunters Sharing The Harvest program please visit http://www.sharedeer.org/, or call toll-free: (866) 474-2141.  To learn about the resources and workshops WOSA offers the public, please visit www.orgsites.com/pa/wosa or call 814 652-9150.