Fighting hunger in the deer woods

By Patrick Massey

Arkansas’ modern gun deer season kicked off earlier this month and one statewide organization is reminding hunters during this much-anticipated time of year in Arkansas how they can join the fight against food insecurity.

Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry helps families in need by providing food pantries with fresh protein sourced right here in Arkansas’ deer woods. The group’s mission, said President Ronnie Ritter, is to transform a renewable resource into food for the hungry. And more hunters from southwest Arkansas are needed to meet what organizers say is a growing need.

“Primarily what we do is, we get hunters to donate their deer to participating processors, they field dress it, they grind it into burgers, and then we give it to local food pantries, homeless shelters,” Ritter said. “We’re trying to infiltrate this area down here and get more hunters and processors involved.”

Deer can be dropped off at any participating facility, processed and then picked up by the organization and distributed to local food pantries. There is no cost to the hunter. T and L Meat Processing, the participating processor in Polk County, is located at 527 Polk 71 near Mena. Call 479-243-0112.

All donated meat is distributed free and is usually donated to food pantries in the same county. It is served at churches, children’s shelters, rescue missions and community food banks. Ritter said he works with many feeding agencies across the state and the number one commodity they need is protein.

“If you ask food pantries what they need, it’s meat,” Ritter said. “It’s been

Mena opens basketball season vs De Queen

harder lately for them to get it, too.”

Ritter hopes to encourage more hunters in Arkansas to consider donating one or more of their legally harvested deer to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry. He particularly addressed those hunters who aren’t always interested in filling all their tags.

“Somebody that wants just a deer for their family, go out and shoot another and donate because there’s a lot of needy folks out there all across the state,” Ritter said.

Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry has provided more than 4 million servings of meat for food pantries across the state since its founding in 2000. The group, he said, has received generous financial support over the years in its mission to transform an abundant white-tailed deer population into a renewable food source for the hungry.

For more information on Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry, and to find out how to join the fight against food insecurity, visit www.arkansashunters.org or call 501-282-0006.

By Jay Bunyard

Mena’s senior teams traveled to De Queen Tuesday night, Nov. 14, to open up the basketball season and came away with a split as the Bearcats rallied for a 55-50 victory while the LadyCats fell to the Lady Leopards 57-27.

The Mena boys trailed 26-21 at halftime but outscored De Queen 18-12 in the third quarter and 16-12 in the fourth quarter to rally for the 55-50 victory. The Bearcats lit it up from the 3-point line in the second half as Sean Sullivan led the way with 15 points. Tucker Hartin scored 11. Kalib Cox and Brody Brown added nine each.

In the senior girls contest, Mena fell behind 16-3 after the opening quarter and never recovered as the LadyCats fell at De Queen 57-27. Caroline Cannon led Mena with seven points. Payton Clark, Kensey Ross, and Chloe Harper added six points each for the Mena girls.