For Immediate Release – October 7, 2025
Hunters Feeding Illinois Returns
Mattoon, Ill. — Hunters Feeding Illinois returns for its fourth season, in partnership with Feeding Illinois, Access Illinois Outdoors, Southern Illinois Food Pantry Network, and University of Illinois Extension SNAP-Education.
Hunters Feeding Illinois has the mission to connect hunters, meat processors, and food pantries to support access to lean protein for Illinois residents and families. Food pantries in 50 Illinois counties are participating in the program this year.
“Food insecurity affects about one in eight Illinois residents, and the challenge is even greater across much of our program area,” said Meredith Probst, SNAP-Ed educator. “With the rising cost of protein, Hunters Feeding Illinois helps ensure families can put nutritious meals on the table while making their food dollars go further.”
Program Update
University of Illinois Extension SNAP-Education, the originator and leader of Hunters Feeding Illinois, will be ending programming due to funding cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Pub. L. No. 119-21). This will be the last season that SNAP-Ed will be able to support the Hunters program.
Hunters Donate for Free
Like previous years, hunters can donate whole harvested deer at no cost. Partnering meat processors are prepared to accept donated deer with the start of deer hunting season in October. Because processing volume increases throughout the season, hunters are encouraged to call processors in advance to confirm they have slots to accept deer. Processors have a select number of slots for donated deer, which becomes more limited as the season continues.
The following meat processors will be accepting deer donations:
Partnering Meat Processors
- Birkner’s Processing | McLeansboro
- Bittners Meat Company- Eureka | Eureka
- Blair’s Slaughtering and Processing | Louisville
- Charlie’s Deer Processing and Smokehouse | Bridgeport
- Connelly Locker | Martinsville
- Dawning Day Deer Processing | Clayton
- Farmhouse Meat Co | Carthage
- Fred’s Meat and Processing | Ashley
- Hilltop Custom Meat | Pittsfield
- Houser Meats | Rushville
- Howe’s Custom Deer Processing | Cowden
- Lambdin Farms Processing | Sullivan
- Legacy Meats | Sumner
- Midstate Meat Co | Springfield
- Moweaqua Packing Plant | Moweaqua
- Oconee Chop Shop | Oconee
- Pike County Custom Meats | Pittsfield
- R & M Meat Processing | Ellis Grove
- R & R Deer Processing | Vienna
- River Bend Wild Game & Sausage Company | St. Joseph
- Salt and Strings | Louisville
- Sanchez Meat Processing | DuQuoin
- Shirley Farms Deer Processing | DeSoto
- Triple C Meats | Anna
- Turasky Meats | Springfield
- Windy Ridge Processing | Shobonier
Join the Match
Thanks to our collaboration with Feeding Illinois, your donation will be doubled dollar for dollar. A $50 donation becomes $100, which covers the processing of one deer. Donate online at go.illinois.edu/deerdonation.
In the 2024-2025 hunting season, Hunters Feeding Illinois distributed 25,794 pounds of frozen, ground venison to 54 food pantries across east-central and southern Illinois. This provided an estimated 97,000 meals, reaching nearly 49,800 families.
Follow along on Facebook, join our email list or visit our website at go.illinois.edu/deerdonation for recipes, videos and more program information. Have questions or are interested in supporting the program? Email us at Huntersfeeding-IL@illinois.edu.
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