Copyright Shaw Local Enewspapers
The potential shutdown of the Hunters Feeding Illinois program could leave Illinois Valley food pantries without a seasonal source of venison, a loss that comes when many are already facing food shortages. Hunters Feeding Illinois began in 2022 as part of the University of Illinois Extension’s SNAP-Education program to help get more lean protein, like venison, into local food pantries. The program brought together hunters, meat processors and food banks through partnerships with Feeding Illinois, Access Illinois Outdoors and the Southern Illinois Food Pantry Network. While SNAP-Ed couldn’t pay for the deer processing itself, Extension staff raised money through local donations and grants to reimburse processors and help cover costs. SNAP-Ed funding pays for the staff who built those connections by coordinating between hunters, processors and pantries, handling logistics and organizing nutrition education at food distribution sites. Federal funds don’t go toward the meat but toward the people and planning that kept the program running smoothly. Without that funding, Hunters Feeding Illinois would be unable to operate, leaving local pantries like the Community Food Basket in Ottawa, uncertain of what to expect if the program isn’t reinstated. “In past years, the Community Food Basket has received anywhere between 300 and 600 pounds of venison through this partnership,” said Marissa Vivich, Executive Director of Community Food Basket. “With a lot of other cuts to our food supply and the extra clients that we are seeing, that extra protein would be very helpful to our clients this fall.” Extension officials said they are now working with Feeding Illinois and other partners to keep the effort going. “SNAP-Ed’s role in supporting Hunters Feeding Illinois goes far beyond funding. It’s about infrastructure, logistics and trust,” Extension officials said in a statement. “Without that support, programs like Hunters Feeding Illinois will face new challenges maintaining the partnerships and systems that make local food access work possible.” The potential loss of Hunters Feeding Illinois is part of broader concerns about all SNAP-Ed programs statewide, according to the University of Illinois Extension. In a press release, Extension officials warned that eliminating SNAP-Ed funding would disrupt programs and community partnerships for more than 1 million Illinois residents. Vivich said local pantries are preparing for the possibility of the program remaining inactive and will continue seeking donations and alternative protein sources. Mary Jo Credi, Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Food Pantry in Peru, said she believed pantries could still accept donated venison as long as it came from a licensed processor. “As far as I know, as long as it’s processed at a licensed facility, we can take wild game as of right now,” Crady said. “But it has to be labeled that it was processed at a certified facility - we can’t take it if it’s done in a garage.” Credi said she hasn’t seen hunters donating much meat recently because of disease concerns among deer populations. State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel (D-Ottawa) criticized the federal cuts that ended the program, blaming the Trump administration for “halting our hunters across the country’s ability to donate their catch to food banks.” “Right here in our area, the Northern Illinois Food Bank will have to refuse thousands of pounds of fresh, nutritious meat that regularly feeds our modest-income families,” Briel said. “Nationally, millions of pounds of meat will be left for waste. Our families will starve if we do not put an end to the suffering at Trump’s hand.” While Hunters Feeding Illinois has provided thousands of pounds of game statewide over recent years, it remains unclear whether any new program or funding source will replace it.
