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.