“Love in a can”: Donated venison is turned into meals for hungry families

Bedford County, Va. (WFXR) — It was an idea that came up in casual conversation.

“Could venison be canned and used to feed people in need of food in the region?”

The answer is, yes.

That is how an effort by Hunters for the Hungry and a number of local public and private groups got started.

Hunters for the Hungry takes donations of deer from hunters. The venison is processed and then sent to area food pantries.

But, there was another need; ready-to-eat meals that could be prepared quickly by families fighting their way out of poverty. Many of those families have children and senior citizens, and family member are working.

The answer to that is canned venison stew.

“One of the hardest things feeding programs tell us they need, it’s essential to children for brain development, and the elderly to maintain healthy bone structure, is high-protein, low-fat red meat,” said Hunters for the Hungry Director Gary Arrington. “This is a God-given, renewable natural resource that provides that without any additives.”

Making the stew was a collaborative effort involving Hunters for the Hungry, The Bedford Community Health Foundation , Bedford County Parks and Recreation, The Virginia Department of Health, and The Bedford County Cooperative Extension Service.

There was a lot of chopping and cutting involved to break down hundreds of pounds of vegetables and venison to go into the stew. Once all that prep work was done, it was all taken to the New London Community Cannery and turned into what one volunteer called it, “love in a can.”

Bedford Community Health Foundation CEO Denny Huff says the cans of venison stew could be a bridge out of poverty for some families: “That’s the intent, really, is to feed the families and take care of the people of Bedford County with resources from Bedford County.”

The effort should provide around 1,100 cans of venison stew, each can enough for one meal for a family.

“We know that ultimately we’re going to give somebody that’s struggling with hunger or facing food insecurity an entire meal in a can,” said Arrington. “That’s just phenomenal.”

The canned stew will be distributed to food pantries around the region.

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