blake
Life Member
Venison donations drop as Iowa's deer population declines
SIOUX CITY, IA. — The success of a nine-year-old policy to reduce Iowa’s deer population is having an unintended consequence: less venison for food banks.
“It’s critical, without any question,” said Linda Scheid, executive director of the Food Bank of Siouxland, which helps needy people in 11 counties.
The group for years has relied on donations through the state Department of Natural Resources’ Help Us Stop Hunger program, which encourages hunters to give food banks any venison they don’t need.
The program, started in 2005, was in conjunction with several Department of Natural Resources measures implemented to limit the overpopulation of deer, which threaten crops and the safety of motorists. Since then, several communities, including Sioux City, have passed ordinances making it illegal to feed deer and other wild animals, removing an important food source.
Statistics suggest the various efforts have had an impact — the deer population has dropped about 30 percent in six years.
The drop, however, means food banks are feeling the pinch. Jim Coffey, who coordinates the venison donation program for the state, said the decrease is the product of the initiative’s success. Fewer deer to kill mean less meat for hunters to donate.
Meat from 47,000 deer has been donated to food banks through the Help Us Stop Hunger program since 2005. Some of it came from hunter Heidi Henderson of Ute, who gave venison last season.
“I don’t like the burger,” she said, “and it helps the needy.”
The Food Bank of Siouxland received about 10,000 pounds of donated venison last year. Overall, however, donations are down about 28 percent since 2007.
The decline comes at a time when food banks face a high demand for food and contributions have dwindled.
