◆ Hunters are helping feed families in Wyoming.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has announced that 215 harvested animals, totaling 9,841 pounds of meat, were donated to food banks around Wyoming in 2021, thanks to the Food from the Field program. The program is part of the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, created by Wyoming’s First Lady Jennie Gordon.

Food from the Field encourages hunters to donate extra game meat to families in need, and is done in partnership with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, and participating processors to streamline game meat donations. All deer and elk undergo appropriate CWD testing to ensure safety prior to entering the food bank system.

Locally, the Afton Food Pantry received 1,662 pounds of donated game meat from 34 donated animals. Eight of the hunters who donated meat were youth hunters, according to Sierra Mitchell, Regional Director for the Wyoming Hunger Initiative.

More information on the Food from the Field program can be found at www.nohungerwyo.org.