by Karen Mehall Phillips, NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum and American Hunter - Tuesday, November 26, 2024
August 13 was a great day to be an American hunter as I sat on a Colorado mountainside alongside my husband, bow across my lap, glassing for bighorn sheep. I remember the date because during a rare moment of cell service, I checked emails and was excited to see one from W.V. Gov. Jim Justice’s office. His staff was confirming that the governor would stand with the NRA in celebrating November as National Wild Game Meat Month by signing a proclamation declaring November Wild Game Meat Donation Month in West Virginia. I didn’t have to ask when in November the governor and now soon-to-be U.S. senator would sign it. The proclamation was already signed, attached and dated Aug. 13.
Demonstrating his commitment to the welfare of fellow West Virginians, Gov. Justice’s proclamation embraces the state’s Hunters for the Hungry (HFH) program—Hunters Helping the Hungry—and commends hunters’ efforts to fight hunger by tapping into hunting's role as an integral cultural component of communities statewide. It celebrates the fact hunting is enshrined in the state constitution, “offering opportunities to connect with nature while providing nutrition to hunters, their families and those less fortunate,” while urging all residents to increase their awareness of food insecurity. The proclamation’s timing is critical as Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, reports that hunger is a reality for one in seven Americans. This translates to 269,250 West Virginians—15% of the state’s population.
As hunters’ common-sense solution to feeding the needy where they hunt and where they live, Hunters Helping the Hungry was launched 32 years ago in cooperation with its sponsor, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR), as part of America’s then-fledgling HFH movement. It was during this time that the NRA established its HFH Clearinghouse to put interested individuals in touch with local programs while assisting with public awareness and fundraising. Thirty-plus years later, the NRA continues to highlight these groups and has donated nearly $700,000 to support their efforts. However, while the hunting community continues to route hunters’ surplus wild game meat to those in need, even more game meat donations are needed.
As noted in the proclamation, recent NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum research that shows while American hunters share 119 million pounds of harvested wild game meat with others outside their households each year, many meat processors involved in game meat donation programs in 2022 said they did not receive enough game meat to fulfill their missions. It also showed that in some cases, donated deer had to be turned away by processors due to a lack of funding.
In addressing this fact, Gov. Justice’s proclamation includes this heartfelt sentence: “The First Lady and I believe hunger is a problem we can help to solve together through Hunters for the Hungry initiatives such as Hunters Helping the Hungry so that one day hunger no longer exists in our state.”
For more on the benefits of hunters and hunting, the proclamation also shares that part of the reason West Virginia is “almost heaven” when it comes to our renewable wildlife resources is because of hunters’ tremendous contributions to its wildlife conservation efforts. It shares how the West Virginia DNR is funded largely by hunters through the “user pays, public benefits” system known as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, resulting in $11,176,512 in Pittman-Robertson funding going back to West Virginia in 2024 alone. It also explains how upholding hunters’ tradition of sharing their wild game harvests takes on even greater significance as we strive to protect the future of hunting and increase its cultural acceptance while promoting it as a food source, a right and a wildlife management tool.
The fact Gov. Justice proclaimed November West Virginia Wild Game Meat Donation Month as far back as August is another example of his noted leadership and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. As a fellow hunter who has long supported the state’s Hunters Helping the Hungry program, he also enjoys sharing a good hunting story. In a Facebook post from Nov. 29, 2023, Gov. Justice wrote: “It took me a few trips, but I bagged my first buck of the season yesterday! There is nothing like being in the woods in West Virginia during hunting season. I would love to see some of the deer you harvested this season or hear about your hunting traditions.”
On another personal note, Gov. Justice and his wife, Cathy, have been married for 40 years. Before being elected governor, he was the president and CEO of numerous companies. For a fun fact, as the largest farmer east of the Mississippi River, he is a long-time member of the National Corn Growers Association and a seven-time national corn growing champion. A passionate outdoorsman, he developed Stoney Brook Plantation, a 15,000-acre hunting and fishing preserve in Monroe County, W.Va. In 2016, he and his bird-hunting companion, Lilly, bagged 73 grouse.
Governor Justice continues to demonstrate how giving back to the community is at the core of who he is and says he is guided by his commitment to the Good Lord, his family and helping West Virginians, including its youth. West Virginians are well aware of his kindness particularly during the holiday season as he dons his custom-made Santa Claus suit every Christmas and visits local churches to give away $1 million in gifts to children in need.
One does not have to hail from West Virginia to recognize that Gov. Justice cares about the state and its future. He has received numerous community service awards and was named West Virginian of the Year in 2014 and 2016. As he prepares to step down as governor and assume his role as a U.S. senator, taking over the seat long held by Sen. Joe Manchin, no doubt he will continue to do what he has always done: serve the great people of his state as West Virginians prepare to celebrate a happy new year.
In the meantime, those who wish to donate surplus venison or make a financial contribution to West Virginia’s Hunters Helping the Hungry program this hunting season can click here.