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Southern Maryland RC&D and Southern Maryland Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry Awarded National Association of RC&D Councils Outreach Award

Thanks to an Outreach Grant from the National Association of Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Councils, Southern Maryland RC&D and Southern Maryland Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) have begun a partnership to address hunger in Southern Maryland.  These funds will go towards increasing the number of high-protein meals provided to minority and underprivileged populations in Southern Maryland while simultaneously contributing to improved local deer habitat and herd health through deer population control.

Like RC&D, FHFH is also a national program with regional organizations to coordinate local activities. Hunters and landowners donate harvested deer and other big-game to qualified, inspected meat processors participating in the program. FHFH then raises money to pay these processors to cut, package, and freeze the donated meat. The high-protein, low-fat meat is then distributed free of charge to community food banks and other food distribution centers serving the needy. The meat is generally distributed in the same county where it is donated.

FHFH is designed to assist the underserved and needy population but also simultaneously improve the local deer habitat and thus herd health.  As a result of the ever increasing deer population in Southern Maryland, deer are forced onto local farmland to find food and subsequently damage crops.  Incidents of automobile collisions with deer are also on the rise. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources issues additional permits for hunting to minimize the negative effects of deer overpopulation. And, FHFH provides an outlet for deer meat harvested as a result of activities to combat these challenges.

Last year, Southern Maryland FHFH assisted with the processing of 490 deer. Since each deer generally provides about 200 meals, FHFH was able to provide approximately 98,000 meals to underserved Southern Marylanders. The additional $5,000 from this National RC&D grant will extend the time period in which Southern Maryland FHFH can provide meat to local pantries and food donors in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties and provide an estimated 17,000 meals to needy families.  Additionally, RC&D and FHFH will be working together to spread the word about their partnership and organizations through press releases, presentations at distribution centers, and the development of Spanish-language materials.  Since both organizations exist nationwide, Southern Maryland RC&D and FHFH hope to spur partnerships that reach beyond Southern Maryland.