Brandon Twp.- Jamel Chokr has plenty to eat this winter.
Chokr, 21, a township resident and veteran hunter, shared some of his bounty by donating a deer to the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger.
‘When I went out deer hunting this past November, I pledged my first deer to the MSAH,? said Chokr. ‘So I shot a button buck in Jackson County and donated it. My second buck I shot in Tennessee last December’I put that one in my freezer.?
Chokr’s not alone in his gift of venison.
Since 1991, Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger has worked to bring donors, wild game processors, and charities together to feed needy individuals. An all-volunteer statewide network channels wild game donations into the hands of those in need.
In 2007, Michigan hunters donated more than 35,000 pounds of venison to MSAH.
‘A variety of food banks, churches and local charities all have received the venison,? said John Arundel, MSAH volunteer.
‘The need is out there’we get a lot of calls looking to find processors. The meat goes very fast, many of the food banks that choose to take ground venison are in areas with a high population of hunters. We don’t take road kill and the venison must be processed by a licensed processor.?
Arundel said processors are reimbursed 80 cents per pound for donated deer. According to the MSAH there are no certified deer processors in Oakland County. However, both Genesee and Lapeer counties each have a business that help hunters who wish to donate.
In 2008, the MSAH reimbursed deer processors $24,000, said Arundel. To donate: http://www.sportsmenagainsthunger.org/