Columbiana County hunters donate 4,700 pounds of deer meat to feed the hungry

By kristine Gill

kgill@vindy.com

columbiana

Columbiana County hunters donated 95 deer totalling 4,700 pounds of meat to feed the hungry this year as part of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry.

Last year, 92 deer were collected, 80 the year before and 40 in the first year.

“We didn’t expect more than 10 our first year,” said Carol Bretz, director of Community Action Agency of Columbiana, and the county’s coordinator for FHFH.

The national program has 130 coordinators in 25 states including 40 in Ohio. Ohio hunters donated 2,503 deer totalling 125,150 pounds of venison this year. Hunters who bag more than they can eat themselves can still enjoy the sport without letting their game go to waste.

“In a county like Columbiana that is very rural and has a culture of hunting, it’s just part of who we are down here. Venison is a very familiar meat and well received here,” Bretz said.

The Division of Wildlife has worked with FHFH for the last four years, matching funds raised at the county level with grants totalling $100,000 annually.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.