Delaware
Delaware hunters have donated over 300 tons of venison to program feeding hungry
Our Daily Bread director on how he uses Hunters Against Hunger venison
Brian Farragher is the executive director of Our Daily Bread in Middletown, one of the recipients of Delaware Hunters Against Hunger venison.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Hunters Against Hunger program has provided over 300 tons of deer meat to needy families and individuals since 1992. Now, in days of uncertainty related to government food assistance, it’s more important than ever.
Delaware hunters participating in the program take their deer to coolers located in each county, where DNREC organizes pickup, processing and distribution to nonprofits statewide.
Chad Lingenfelder of Georgetown is 39 and shot his first deer on a state youth hunt when he was 14, he said. He’s been deer hunting and contributing to the Hunters Against Hunger program with his dad, Christopher Lingenfelder, ever since.
The Lingenfelders are part of DNREC’s deer damage assistance program, which allows them to take more does than others annually in order to protect crops. They hunt more deer than they can eat, and donate to Hunters Against Hunger each season.
“Giving back to our community is important to us,” Chad Lingenfelder said.
Delaware hunters donated 26,372 pounds of deer meat from 809 deer in the 2024-2025 hunting season, according to DNREC spokesman Michael Globetti. Since 1992, over 655,000 pounds of deer meat from 18,349 deer have been donated through the program, equaling roughly 6.62 million meals, Globetti said.
Where the meat goes
The venison goes to 25 nonprofits throughout the state, such as the Elizabeth W. Murphey School, a residential foster care program in Dover. The school typically gets a few hundred pounds of venison from the program every year, and received a little over 300 pounds earlier this month, Executive Director Michael Kopp said.
“The older boys, they like to eat, so when we supplement a regular meal with the venison, it makes everything else go a lot farther,” Kopp said. “One of their favorites is venison jerky – they mix it up, dry it and make jerky sticks for a snack. Venison is a very lean meat, it’s better for them than processed meat.”
Our Daily Bread in Middletown is another recipient of Hunters Against Hunger venison. The nonprofit served about 48,000 meals last year, Executive Director Brian Farragher said, through hot lunches and dinners and a drive-up community pantry.
Our Daily Bread uses the ground venison in dishes like meatloaf and chili and gives it away through the pantry. It’s a popular item, according to Farragher.
“If I put it out this morning, it’s gone by lunch,” Farragher said.
How to donate venison
Only deer harvested in Delaware are accepted in the Hunters Against Hunger program. Out-of-state harvested and road-killed deer are not accepted.
Hunters donating deer must register the animal and include the registration number, hunter’s name and date of harvest on the tag attached to the deer. All deer must be field dressed before being placed in the cooler.
The coolers are self-serve, walk-in units. When you drop off a deer, call the phone number posted at the cooler to report your donation so it can be retrieved and processed.
Coolers are open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (unless otherwise noted) at the following locations.
- White Clay Creek State Park, 195 Smith Mill, Newark. This is a temporary mobile location opening Nov. 14 for general firearms season.
- Augustine Wildlife Area, 303 N. Congress St., Port Penn.
- Little Creek Wildlife Area, 3016 Bayside Dr., Dover.
- D&J Custom Cutting, 89 Meyers Dr., Hartly. Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during deer season only.
- Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area, 782 Kersey Road, Viola.
- Miller’s Butcher Shop, 577 Morgans Choice Road, Wyoming. Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
- Milford Mosquito Control, 1161 Airport Road, Milford.
- Redden State Forest Headquarters, 18074 Redden Road, Georgetown.
- Trap Pond State Park, 33587 Baldcypress Ln., Laurel.
- Gumboro Community Center, 36849 Millsboro Hwy., Millsboro.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.
Delaware’s lengthy quest to return to the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament was thwarted on May 2 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Jacksonville topped the Blue Hens 16-11 in the Atlantic Sun Conference title game, earning an automatic NCAA berth, at the rainy Rock Lacrosse Center.
The 29-team NCAA tourney bracket will be unveiled at 9 p.m. May 3 on ESPNU. Delaware was 33rd and Jacksonville 35th in the latest RPI, meaning the Blue Hens are likely a long shot for one of the 14 at-large berths.
Regular-season ASUN champ and top-seeded Delaware (13-5) had won a school record 12 in a row, including nipping Jacksonville 14-13 on March 26 at Delaware Stadium, where the Hens rallied from a four-goal third-period deficit.
In the title game, Delaware trailed 4-2 after the first quarter, 8-5 at halftime and 13-7 after the third period and couldn’t complete another comeback against the Dolphins (13-5).
Maggie Porter had three goals and Sophia Muscolino scored twice for the Blue Hens. An 18-11 edge in draw controls keyed the Dolphins.
Delaware was once a women’s lacrosse national powerhouse under coach Janet Smith. It won AIAW Division II national titles in 1981 and 1982. With the NCAA taking over women’s sports, Delaware was 1983 Division I champion and then finished third in the 1984 tourney.
But the Blue Hens have made just one NCAA Tournament appearance since. That was in 2000 as an America East member, and the Blue Hens lost a first-round game against Loyola.
After a subsequent move to the Colonial Athletic Association, Delaware reached just one conference title game over 24 seasons, losing in 2009 to William & Mary.
Delaware left the CAA this year because of a move to Conference USA, which does not sponsor women’s lacrosse. Several sports landed in the Atlantic Sun, including women’s lacrosse, and gave Delaware better opportunities for success. The Hens’ regular-season conference title was their first since 1999.
Cape Henlopen High graduate Ella Rishko was the Atlantic Sun’s offensive player of the year for Delaware, which is led by seventh-year coach Amy Altig.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
Take a boat ride to Fort Delaware in the Delaware River’s Pea Patch Island
Take a boat ride to Fort Delaware, once a bastion of military defense and a prison camp during the Civil War, on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.
The Delaware history column features excerpts from The News Journal archives including The Morning News and The Evening Journal. See the archives at delawareonline.com.
May 3, 1926, The Evening Journal
Thousands attend funeral of train collision victims at Barratt’s Chapel
Editor’s note: This report also has excerpts about the collision from the April 29, 1926, issue of The Evening Journal.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilburn B. Friedel and daughters Ruth, 14, and Grace, 11, who were killed Wednesday evening when a train struck their automobile at a crossing near Felton, were buried at Barratt’s Chapel yesterday afternoon.
It was the first time in the history of this church known throughout the country as the cradle of Methodism that four members of the same family have been buried at the same time.
It was also the largest attended funeral in the history of the old chapel. Thousands of persons from all sections of the county and state were in attendance….
Their third daughter, Delma, aged 16 years, who was the only occupant of the car to survive, is still in critical condition in the Milford Hospital.
The son of the deceased couple, Wilburn Jr., 22, who was visiting in New York at the time of the accident, was present at the services.
Mr. Friedel was a farmer living two miles from Felton. He and his family had been visiting his mother, Mrs. Effie Friedel, and were on their way home when the accident happened at the Delaware Railroad crossing just east of Felton.
His mother’s home is but a short distance from crossing. She, with a daughter, was standing on the porch of her home and had just waved good-bye as the locomotive crashed into the automobile….
The crossing is protected with warning signs. The express was northbound. It is thought that Mr. Friedel had just temporarily glanced back to his mother’s home and failed to look down the track before starting across….
The train, known as the American Express Special D-20, left Delmar at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon and was due in Philadelphia at 9:05 that night….
According to employees of the railroad company, the engineer had sounded his whistle on approaching the crossing and the bell was ringing at the time of the collision.
Following the crash, the engineer brought his train to a stop and the task of investigating the tragedy began. The train was delayed for more than an hour….
The railroaders in charge were not detained but were ordered to appear at the inquest….
The funeral services in the old chapel were crowded to the doors. Scores stood in the aisles and around the walls, but not more than one-tenth of the people in attendance could get inside. The others stood quietly in the churchyard until the services were over and the bodies were brought to the graveyard for interment….
Services were conducted by the Rev. D.J. Moore, pastor of Felton M.E. Church, and he was assisted by the Rev. E.H. Collins of Harrington and the Rev. H.B. Kelso of Dover….
Dr. Moore alluded to the fact that the victims were regular attendants and interested in the church. He did not refer to the accident itself but drew lessons from the uncertainty of life and the necessity for being prepared for death….
May 6, 1976, The Morning News
$54,500 traded for $2,725 in armored car money drop
An “honest” Delawarean, who, has apparently been staring at a pile of $54,500 in unmarked, small denomination bills since last Friday, turned his find over to police yesterday.
The man, identified by New Castle County Police only as “an anonymous citizen of Delaware,” collected a reward of $2,725 for returning the cash, which fell out of a Purolator Courier armored truck when it hit a bump on U.S. 202 and a door flew open Friday about 7 a.m.
Lt. Richard LeCates said the man telephoned police Wednesday at about 8 a.m., and said he was bringing the money in. Two hours later, he walked into police headquarters and plopped the moneybags on a detective’s desk.
“It was all there,” LeCates said.
As many as 100 passersby saw a man pick up the two cloth bags of money, and Pennsylvania State Police have been questioning witnesses to learn the man’s identity….
Hoping for more information, police asked the Delaware press to publish the story….
May 9, 2006, The News Journal
New Castle County to increase homebuilding fee 500% for fire service
Looking to cope with rapid housing growth, New Castle County is poised to increase by more than 500% a homebuilding fee that helps pay for new fire stations and equipment.
An ordinance would increase the impact fee from $84 to $510 for a detached single-family home. The fee is paid by developers and passed on to buyers to expand volunteer fire and rescue services….
County Council’s approval of the change could help volunteer fire companies that have applied to the county for money from the impact fee fund but are blocked by a backlog….
The county has collected $1.75 million since the fee was imposed seven years ago, but there is a backlog of $4.75 million for projects that have been approved and are waiting for funding….
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
Explaining the Delaware Court System
Delaware’s court system is comprised of different branches. Some of them have their own area of jurisdiction and function. 6/4/25
A 30-year-old man has been indicted in the killing of his grandmother, Delaware State Police said.
The grandmother, 72-year-old Elizabeth Fritchey, lived for 12 days after Dempsey Fritchey assaulted her inside the Hyatt House Lewes / Rehoboth Beach hotel on Jan. 29, police said. This is the first time police have publicly acknowledged the woman’s death.
Dempsey Fritchey was indicted by a Sussex County grand jury on April 13 on a charge of first-degree murder, police said. He remains in the Delaware Department of Correction’s custody.
What happened
The Fritcheys were staying at the Lewes-area hotel, located at 17254 Five Points Square, Jan. 29 when police said he began assaulting his grandmother – striking her with his hands and feet.
He then went to the lobby about 5:45 p.m. and told hotel staff that he’d killed his grandmother, police said.
Arriving officers found Dempsey Fritchey near the hotel lobby. He “told troopers that he may have killed his grandmother.”
Troopers went to the Fritcheys’ room, where police said they found the grandmother. She was unconscious and had injuries to her face and head.
Troopers provided her with medical aid until EMS arrived. She was then taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
She died on Feb. 10 from the injuries she received during the assault, police said.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
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