Pennsylvania hunters donate record number of deer last season

From Hunters Sharing Harvest

Greenville, Pa. — Pennsylvania hunters once again demonstrated their generosity by setting another record for unmatched venison donations through Hunters Sharing the Harvest, the group announced in late July.

During the 2025-26 hunting seasons, hunters donated 294,844 pounds of venison from 8,382 deer harvested across the commonwealth, making Pennsylvania the nation’s leading venison donation state for yet another year.

The year’s donation total equates to approximately 1.2 million servings of lean, nutritious venison distributed to food-insecure individuals and families throughout Pennsylvania.

“Hunters across the commonwealth continue to embrace hunting as social service, providing healthy, locally sourced protein to neighbors facing food insecurity,” said Randy Ferguson, executive director of the organization often referred to as HSH.

“Once again leading the nation in venison donations demonstrates the extraordinary commitment of Pennsylvania’s hunting community,” said Bill Sordoni, HSH board chairman.

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“Every donated deer is compassion in action, and every pound of venison helps strengthen families and communities across our commonwealth.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture remains a cornerstone partner, providing state and federal hunger-relief funding that helps reimburse participating processors for converting donated deer into ground venison for local food banks and pantries.

“Hunting and generosity are both part of Pennsylvania’s heritage, according to Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.

“Hunters Sharing the Harvest demonstrates the best of both traditions by connecting hunters with families who need nutritious food,” he said.

“Every pound donated helps stretch household budgets while supporting a stronger, healthier Pennsylvania.”

HSH offers hunters a meaningful way to put additional venison on the tables of families facing food insecurity while contributing to responsible wildlife management.

Today, HSH partners with more than 110 licensed deer processors across 56 Pennsylvania counties. Ground venison is distributed through regional food banks, pantries and soup kitchens in partnership with Feeding Pennsylvania and Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, ensuring the donated meat reaches local families who need it most.

“High-quality protein remains one of the greatest needs among the families served by Pennsylvania’s food banks,” said Julie Bancroft, CEO of Feeding Pennsylvania.

Since its founding in 1991, HSH has now provided more than 3.3 million pounds of venison, representing more than 13 million servings for Pennsylvanians experiencing hunger.

Hunters wishing to participate need only legally harvest, tag and field dress a deer before taking it to a participating HSH processor. A complete list of participating processors and donation information is available at www.ShareDeer.org.