The West Virginia Hunters Helping the Hungry program recently received a huge infusion of cash thanks to a special program organized to expose West Virginia’s hunting opportunities to the rest of the nation.
Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced the annual Governor’s One Shot Whitetail Hunt from December 5-6, 2010 raised $75,000 in donations to the program.
“The Governor’s One Shot Committee set a very ambitious monetary goal for last year’s event and I congratulate them on their success,” Gov. Tomblin said during a check presentation at the Capitol on March 2. “I also want to thank all those who participated, from the hunters to the business sponsors, because they put food on the table for many West Virginia families. While I look forward to this year’s hunt, which will be the event’s fifth anniversary, I’d like to encourage West Virginians to make year round donations to our food pantries.”
The event was first staged in 2007 and originally raised $17,000 in donations for the program. The program’s donations have increased exponentially ever since.
The event invites governors from across the nation to come to West Virginia for a two day hunting trip. Participants get one shot to kill an antlerless deer. Corporate partners can also be part of the event through contributions. The deer killed during the two day hunt are also donated to HHH.
Hunters Helping the Hungry is a program administered every year by the DNR. The program allows hunters to donate any unwanted deer meat to be processed and distributed to needy people across the state through the Mountaineer Food Bank. The DNR can only administer the program, but actual funds to run the program must come from donations.
“While we want to thank all our dedicated volunteers for their hard work and time, it simply couldn’t have happened without the generous support of the many corporations and individuals who are willing to put their money where their mouths are,” said DNR Director Frank Jezioro. “They stepped up again this year and were overly generous in bidding on the many articles donated for auction at our event and purchasing the corporate tables for the banquet. Having different organizations underwrite most of the cost of the event enables us to give the major portion of the money raised directly to the HHH program.”
Organizers are already planning the 2011 event.
