Harvest with Heart Deer Donation Program feeds Empire Food Pantry

From staff reports

A collaboration between Buntings Cedar Market, local deer hunters, the Empire Area Community Center (EACC), and the Empire Area Community Food Pantry is supplying high-quality protein to families experiencing food insecurity during this hunting season, which runs the second half of November.

A total of 14 deer (and counting) have been donated by local hunters to the Harvest with Heart Deer Donation Program, just a couple day into this year’s rifle hunting season. The initiative is financially supported locally by donations through EACC and its new Basic Needs Initiative Fund, which launched during the federal government shutdown and pause in SNAP benefits.

Venison processed at Buntings will be donated to the Empire Food Pantry, which is run out of the Glen Lake Church in Burdickville.

“This is a very encouraging report and will go a long way towards meeting our goal of harvesting 50 donated deer to assist in feeding fine folks in need within our community,” said EACC president Gerry Shiffman.

This deer donation program will continue running throughout the entire deer hunting season.