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Mar 6, 2009 6:34 pm US/Central
Organization Donates Wild Game To Local Food Banks
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Wild game like deer, elk and turkey may not be for everyone, but a state organization that coordinates game for needy families is getting a lot of inquiries. More people want to know how to get free meat provided by Texas hunters.
Piper Smith, of Mansfield, recently killed her first deer, and she donated the meat to the needy. "It makes me feel like I did something good, like a good deed or something," the nine-year-old said.
Dustin Ortmann of Dallas is now 27-years-old, but said he's been hunting since he was seven. "Hunting's probably my favorite thing to do in my free time so I try to hunt as much as I can," he said. "I just like being in the outdoors."
Over the years Ortmann has donated a lot of wild game to an organization called Hunters for Hungry. After all that time, Ortmann recently found himself in need. He was laid off in September and during the months of his unemployment; the venison in his freezer helped him get by. "Some people are going to be out of work a lot longer than the three months that I was. So it helps me appreciate it a little more and feel good about being able to help somebody out."
Develyn El-Fil is in the same boat Ortmann was. She's divorced with two children and recently lost her job. CBS 11 News asked her if she'd be interested in meat donated by hunters. "It's something new to me. It's not something that I have actually gone in to buy, but at this time and age, you're probably willing to try just about anything," she said.
Not all food pantries offer wild game. It depends on the population they serve and the space available.
North Texas Shared Ministries is trying to serve twice as many needy people as it did last year. Worker Judy Rorrie said, "It's [venison] leaner than other meats so therefore we would be accomplishing two things. We would be providing meat, fresh meat, and we would be providing I think that's wonderful."
There are strict requirements for the donated meat. It must come through a processing plant, be properly packaged and stored. The hunters who donate also pay the cost of getting the meat to area North Texas food banks.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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