This past year, the Mountaintop Food Bank received over 100 pounds of deer meat to give to the hungry.

Sharon Nilson from Snow Shoe goes deer hunting as often as she can this time of year.

She takes some of the meat she gets and gives it to a butcher to give to a Centre County Food Bank.

“Food banks normally don’t hand out a lot of meat, they do turkeys at Thanksgiving and such, but it’s not like they get steaks and everything to hand out, so this is a way for them to get this into the community,” Nilson, said.

It’s all apart of the “Hunters Sharing the Harvest” program.

Coordinators pick up donated meat from butchers and give it to a food bank for people in need.

In november, the central pennsylvania food bank announced they aren’t accepting deer meat donations this year because deers with chronic wasting disease were found in central pa this past year.

The food bank says it’s a precaution, because they can’t check the deer themselves.

But Mountaintop food bank and Nilson say the food they are giving to people does not pose a threat.

“The state wants the meat checked for the wasting disease, and there are check points to do that and some of the butchers can do that, so we feel pretty comfortable,” Mary Beth Hall, Coordinator for Mountaintop Food Bank, said.

“I believe as long as it’s been checked, and that it’s cleared, there’s no harm in that meat going out to the food banks or being consumed,” Nilson, said.

To find out how to donate deer meat, you can go to: https://sharedeer.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/HuntersSharingTheHarvest/