AURELIUS - On opening day of bow hunting season for deer, Bass Pro Shops gave $1,800 - donated by its customers and staff - to the Venison Donation Coalition.
The money will pay local meat processors to process donated deer. The meat will then be picked up by food banks for delivery to soup kitchens, food pantries and needy families.
The program is ongoing; Bass Pro General Manager Greg Bulkley hopes to reach the $25,000 mark by Christmas.
The coalition itself - comprised of hunters, farmers, food banks, sportsmen's clubs, organizations and individuals - will match every dollar Bass Pro raises.
New York Farm Bureau is a partner in the coalition. Lindsay Wickham, a Farm Bureau field advisor who was present for the check award Friday, said the agency supports the program because it helps cull the deer population that could be harmful to crops. It also provides food for needy families.
Locally, there are four processors participating in the program. They are Jon's Custom Meats in Moravia, Kevin's Custom Meat Processing in Port Byron, Phillips Processing in Cato and Phillip's Processing in Savannah. The Cato and Savannah enterprises are run by father and son.
The donated deer must be properly tagged. The coalition advises calling the processors first to make sure that they are processing and have room for the deer in their freezers.
Since its inception in 1999, the Venison Donation Coalition, with the support of its partners, has distributed nearly 250,000 pounds of ground venison throughout New York. That equals a million servings, said Greg Fuerst, the venison donation coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Bulkley said Bass Pro is proud to have its name associated with the program and hopes that the connection to the store will encourage more people to donate funds in support of the program, as well as deer they shoot but won't consume themselves.
For more information about the program, go to www.VenisonDonation.com, or call 1-866-862-DEER.
Staff writer Louise Hoffman Broach can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or louise.hoffman@lee.net
The program is ongoing; Bass Pro General Manager Greg Bulkley hopes to reach the $25,000 mark by Christmas.
The coalition itself - comprised of hunters, farmers, food banks, sportsmen's clubs, organizations and individuals - will match every dollar Bass Pro raises.
New York Farm Bureau is a partner in the coalition. Lindsay Wickham, a Farm Bureau field advisor who was present for the check award Friday, said the agency supports the program because it helps cull the deer population that could be harmful to crops. It also provides food for needy families.
Locally, there are four processors participating in the program. They are Jon's Custom Meats in Moravia, Kevin's Custom Meat Processing in Port Byron, Phillips Processing in Cato and Phillip's Processing in Savannah. The Cato and Savannah enterprises are run by father and son.
The donated deer must be properly tagged. The coalition advises calling the processors first to make sure that they are processing and have room for the deer in their freezers.
Since its inception in 1999, the Venison Donation Coalition, with the support of its partners, has distributed nearly 250,000 pounds of ground venison throughout New York. That equals a million servings, said Greg Fuerst, the venison donation coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Bulkley said Bass Pro is proud to have its name associated with the program and hopes that the connection to the store will encourage more people to donate funds in support of the program, as well as deer they shoot but won't consume themselves.
For more information about the program, go to www.VenisonDonation.com, or call 1-866-862-DEER.
Staff writer Louise Hoffman Broach can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or louise.hoffman@lee.net
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