The South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger program reached a milestone.
More than one million pounds of wild game has been donated to families in need since the program began in 1993. One pound of venison burger can feed a meal to a family of four. This correlates to over four million meals fed to these people who are food insecure throughout the state of South Dakota.
It certainly takes a village and many great agencies who have worked together to make this happen, but the number one group to thank for reaching this goal are the sportsmen of our state.
They do not only help provide the game but also provide funds to help in the processing through the SAH Processing Certificate Program. Please keep up the great work, because we still have a long way to go to meet the need of hunger in South Dakota. One in nine individuals are food insecure, according to one of our great partners, Feeding South Dakota.
The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission and the department are an integral part of making this all happen each year. Rapid City and Sioux Falls also contribute deer burger to SAH through herd reductions within city limits.
Sharpshooters provided 6,400 pounds in Rapid City this year in which the city, Black Hills Sportsmen Club and S.D. Sportsmen Against Hunger provided funds to pay for the processing. While most of the meat comes in the form of burger, we also take in lots of other wild game: roosters, geese, antelope, walleye and even an occasional elk. We have food drives that will take frozen food items.
A primary food shortage is fresh meat, which is in high demand and difficult to obtain. Game meat is nutritional in value in having low fat and high protein content. Our primary expense is the cost of processing, and we thank all our processors that process these deer, antelope and geese at a reduced rate. We are also fortunate to have corporate sponsors. Walmart, the Elmen Foundation and Scheels have been with us for a long time.
The South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger board of directors, along with many South Dakotans that benefit from this program, would like to thank everyone who has donated meat and funds to support our efforts to help end hunger in South Dakota. We also want to thank the meat processors, Feeding South Dakota and the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks organization. Without them, this program would not succeed.
Now, let us start on working on our second million pounds.
