As gun seasons in Midwestern states begin to get under way, many hunters will be taking to the woods in hopes of harvesting a deer. This time of year, thousands of hunters take to the woods for their annual one weekend hunt. Others however, have been hunting since the beginning of September learning the deer patterns and scouting their favorite hunting areas. Some do not even plan to hunt this year, but will because their children would like to get out and try it. Whichever category you fall under, you need to know about the FIsH program in Indiana.
Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIsH) is a program established to process donated deer harvested this year through the means of the penal system along with other partners such as food banks and even church organizations across nine different cities in Indiana. Some Indiana inmates will be learning how to become a butcher, which will help them learn job related skills needed in future civilian life.
Senator Richard Luger has teamed up with several individuals of FIsH in creation of a $100,000 government grant in an attempt to feed the Indiana hungry. Approximately 600,000 residents of Indiana go to sleep at night without knowing where their next meal will come from. Around 190,000 of these individuals are kids!
Here is the perfect opportunity for Midwestern hunters to pitch in and feed the hungry this holiday season. Many states have similar programs, however; if your state does not and you would like to help, you can find FIsH on the web at www.feedingindianashungry.org. The Indiana cities that have partnered up with FIsH are as follows: Anderson, Bloomington, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, Lafayette, South Bend, and Terre Haute. These cities not only deliver this service to their counties but to surrounding counties in their region of the state.
Here is how it works. Contact FIsH at P.O. Box 712 Mishawaka, Indiana 46544 if you want to donate, be a member, or be a partner or you can call 574-968-5058. You can also check out the website to find your nearest city partner of FIsH. You don’t have to be from Indiana to donate! Get out there and help feed those hungry families.
Hunters will be given a coupon for their donations. The coupon can be redeemed for a discounted replacement antlerless tag for $14. Currently those tags are $24. So no matter what category of hunter you may fall under (recreational, serious, or parent), think about taking at least one of your deer this year to Feeding Indiana’s Hungry.
Submitted by Christopher Hadley
