Hunt for Hunger Kicks Off, Food Pantries Seek Meat
Published: Friday, November 21, 2025
Suzie Jordan, executive director of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, along with DNR Public Relations Captain Jet Quillen and County Line Church of God Food Pantry announced the beginning of the 2025 Hunt for Hunger season last Friday at a press conference in Fort Wayne.
Hunters are invited to harvest a deer and take it to a participating processor to donate venison for hunger programs throughout Indiana. All processing fees of donated deer are paid for by the Hunt for Hunger program grant.
"It's a wonderful program. Any time we can help fellow Hoosiers who might need a helping hand, I think we all want to do that. And for hunters to have that opportunity, I think is a wonderful thing," Quillen said.
"We all know that meat prices have gone through the roof. And this is a great way for pantries to get something that people love to hunt but maybe choose not to eat," Jordan said.
One deer accounts for approximately 200 meals, she said.
"Last year, our agency in partnership with the DNR and the Hunt for Hunger, had over 840 deer that we coordinated the distribution for, which is over 38,380 pounds of ground venison. That's a lot of meat, and it's through the generosity of the hunters that we were able to do that," Jordan said.
In 2024, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry provided meat to over 70 agencies in 40 counties.
This year, 49 processors are participating in the Hunt for Hunger program, 38 of which are in partnership with Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry.
Area participating processors include: E&L Farms and Processing and Lengacher Meats LLC in Grabill, Mr. Meatz-Huntertown in Huntertown, D&D Meat Processing in Corunna, ELM Custom Processing LLC in Wakarusa, Union Center Meats in Nappanee, Beechy's Custom Meats in Shipshewana, Hallmark Custom Meats LLC in Wolcottville, Primal Kuts in LaGrange, Howard and Sons Meats in Munster, J&J Quality Meats/Johns Butcher Shop Inc. in Bourbon, Holland's Deer Processing in Peru, Weaver Processing in Star City, Mr. Meatz-Angola and The Meat Grinder in Angola, and Integrity Meats in Churubusco.
"It's a growing program," Quillen said. "Last year we had over 1,000 deer donated and that resulted in over 48,000 pounds of ground venison being distributed out for consumption."
"Its goal is to get food and ground venison to those who need it," he said.
He hopes to see the Hunt for Hunger continue to grow throughout the state.
"It's a wonderful program that's designed to give back to needy Hoosiers and if our hunters in our division can be a part of that, we're proud to do that," Quillen said.
Protein is the biggest budget item for County Line Church of God Food Pantry.
"We haven't been able to buy eggs since towards the beginning of the year because the prices are so high, so having the venison is two-fold in that it helps with the not having eggs but filling the protein need," said Nancy Eads, co-coordinator of the food pantry.
Eads said the need for food increases in the summer when children are on summer break and during the cold months when utility bills are higher.
Her counterpart, Wendy Pflughoeft, added that the deer season is perfectly timed for such a season of need.
"What we see on our end is our neighbors' utility bills go up, and we literally have some folks who come in just in the winter because that's when they can't afford it; the dollar doesn't stretch as far between the holidays and the utility bills. So, the timing of this is perfect," Pflughoeft said. "We also have neighbors who come in who used to hunt or whose parents hunted and are tickled particularly to have venison. It brings back childhood memories."
The County Line Church of God Food Pantry is an emergency food bank, open every month on the third Friday. This Friday's distribution will be the first one since SNAP benefits ran out at the beginning of November. Eads and Pflughoeft are expecting a larger participation as Hoosiers wait for SNAP benefits to return to full capacity.
"When we open, we are completely stocked," Pflughoeft said. "In the last week, we've gone from nearly empty to floor-to-ceiling full. It's impressive and amazing, and we really do expect a residual from those folks who didn't receive their benefits. They have stretched things, and they're going to need help for the next few months."
The Hunt for Hunger is supported by Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, the Dubois County Sportsman Club and Farmers, and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry coordinates with hunters and processers.
Quillen said the deer must be field dressed to be donated before being taken to the processors.
When a deer is processed for the Hunt for Hunger, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry tries to keep the meat in the area in which it was harvested. If that area has a sufficient stock of protein, the meat is distributed among other participating agencies. Participating agencies include food pantries, meal programs, crisis pregnancy centers and more.
In the 16 years Quillen has been at the DNR, he has seen processor participation in the Hunt for Hunger increase by 30%. Now he is focused on getting the word out to hunters throughout the state.
"We're going in the right direction, but we've still got a lot of work to do," he said.
Questions about the Hunt for Hunger can be directed to Captain Quillen at jquillen@dnr.IN.gov or 317/232-0658.
In addition to the Hunt for Hunger, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry operates the Meat4Forks program, which accepts livestock for meat processing and distribution.
"We need livestock year-round," Jordan said.
She said any farmers with livestock that need to be put down due to injuries or other such reasons should contact the Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry office and inquire about the Meat4Forks program.
For questions about Meat4Forks, contact Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry at 260/233-1444, ext. 104.
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