Wyoming Program Turns Hunting Harvests Into Food For Families In Need

Wyoming is an incredible state to live in if you enjoy the outdoors. It's also a great place to live if you want to make an impact on others. As we head into hunting season across the state, I want to put the Wyoming Hunger Initiative front and center.

For some, hunting is a way of life. It is a lifeline that keeps the family fed and the freezer full of meat, taking some of the stress of high grocery bills off your mind. Not everyone has the time, money, or ability to hunt to help their family stay fed. That's where the Wyoming Hunger Initiative comes in.

Wyoming First Lady Jennie Gordon launched the Food From The Field program to help eliminate food insecurity in Wyoming. The program's mission is really simple.

We believe hunger in Wyoming is a problem that can be solved. We also recognize that where there's a hungry child, a hungry family, senior, or veteran isn't far away. We work to prevent food insecurity by increasing awareness and support for the work of local anti-hunger organizations statewide through innovative programs that connect like-minded organizations as well as funding support for local solutions.

The food from the field campaign is simple: any hunter can be part of it and immediately help families. The Wyoming Hunger Initiative, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, and participating processors work together to streamline game meat donation to food pantries statewide.

To help, hunters are invited to donate some or all of the meat from their harvest to program meat processors. You're also welcome to help cover all or part of the processing fees. If you can cover part of the cost, Wyoming Hunger Initiative will cover the rest thanks to the sale of WGFD Commissioners Tags.

To participate, when you harvest an animal, have the carcass tested for CWD, then locate one of the eleven participating meat processors around the state, you'll fill out a Hunter Log Sheet, and release the animal to the processor. Here is a downloadable handbook outlining the step-by-step donation process.

Check out the video, which explains the program, how it works, and how it's been successful.