The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been using a program to help food banks and other organizations.

The Help Us Stop Hunger or HUSH program has been in practice for over 20 years in Iowa, and helps feed families in need. Hunters can donate deer they harvest through HUSH by going to participating meat lockers. The Iowa DNR works with close to 100 lockers to run the program. Funds for the program are acquired through hunters purchasing licenses, so there’s no fee when the deer is donated.

Guthrie County Conservation Director Brad Halterman tells Raccoon Valley Radio why HUSH is well liked by hunters across the state.

“It’s a good program. It’s a way to make sure that that deer meat gets onto the table in one way or another, even if the hunter or person that harvested it isn’t going to put it in their freezer or get it onto their table. So it’s a good program. It’s been around for quite some time now, and it’s a good, popular program.”

Iowa DNR says that lockers are paid for processing the deer into two pound packages of ground meat, which then goes to the Food Bank of Iowa. Lockers that accept deer for the HUSH program will have hunters fill out a Hunter HUSH card as well.