'Hunters for the Hungry' Seeks Donations Amid Deer Shortage

Donations to Virginia nonprofit Hunters for the Hungry are at a 17-year low due to a declining deer population.

The statewide hunger relief program, dedicated to providing a healthy source of protein to those in need, reports that donations are down more than 11 tons as of Dec. 16.

With more than 75 percent of the season already over, the organization has only taken in roughly 140,000 pounds of its 370,000-pound goal. That much deer meat would be able to make 1.48 million quarter-pound servings of “lean, nutritious meat,” the organization’s website states.

The shortage of deer is being blamed on hemorrhagic disease and coyote predation, The Free Lance-Star reports.