Tis the season! Can you believe it is already December and we’re less than three weeks until Christmas. Well…there certainly are quite a few hunters who have realized all this and more. According to a study done by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, last year over 11 million meals were donated to the less fortunate—that’s 2.8 MILLION pounds of game that made its way to shelters, food banks, and church kitchens to feed the hungry. I bet this year we’ll see even more hunters out in support of the cause!

It’s a great way to give back to the community while taking part in a sport that many love (and would participate in anyway!). Did you know that the Midwest of the US alone accounted for 46% of donations? The National Shooting Sports Foundation notes that this is because of a high percentage of hunters in the region and also a high prevalence of white tale deer (the most common game donated). The South is in close second with 45% of donations. Have you helped to make these numbers so wonderfully high?

These hunters are generous to donate their meat to the hungry, but they also pay for the processing of the meat and work with many charity groups that are dedicated to the cause of helping the hungry, especially during the holiday season.

If you are interested in learning more about these programs, make sure to check out Hunters for the Hungry, Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Hunt to Feed and Buckmasters. These are wonderful causes and we hope that if you are a hunter that you’ll get involved.

Have you had any experiences with these charities? We’d love to hear more about them and maybe even profile any hunters who are heavily involved in hunting charities! Please let us know a bit about your story and include your email address in the comments if you are interested in being included into the SafeGunSafes blog!