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Venison will soon be back on the shelves of Minot area food pantries.

Two years ago, food pantries were forced to dump venison because of the scare of lead contamination from deer harvested during the North Dakota deer gun season. The loss of protein-rich deer meat left a huge void on pantry shelves.

"It was terrible when we had to dump 1,200 pounds of venison in the garbage," said Joyce Sand, operator of Our Lady of Grace food pantry in Minot. "Having it back this year is good. It's very important. When we didn't have it, a lot of people were asking for it. We need the deer meat."

Food pantries all across the state have struggled to fill the void left by the absence of donated venison for the past two years. Last year, only bow-killed deer were accepted and the number of donated deer dropped from 400 to 69.

"When you think of what gets donated to food pantries, it's the non-perishable food items. Quality meat is something food pantries just don't get," said Ann Pollert, executive director for North Dakota Community Action Partnership in Fargo. "We are thrilled to be able to accept harvested deer this year. We've talked to all the food pantries in the state and they are all ecstatic about it."

Wanda Schestler is the Region II director for Community Action Partnership in Minot and knows the difficulties in feeding needy families in the region. She is among those who are welcoming the chance to add venison to the menu.

"It's wonderful. People like it and they need the protein," said Schestler. "We are glad about it. In 2007, we received 5,632 pounds of venison. Last year, with bow-only deer, we were down to 123 pounds. We are hoping it goes back up to the original amount."

Minot's Pheasants For The Future has been one of the leading participants in the state's Sportsmen Against Hunger program. The Minot group has stepped up big this year, paying the cost of processing for up to 150 deer that will be donated to Community Action for distribution to area food pantries. The club's Hides For Habitat program, where hunters drop off their unwanted deer hides at selected sites, is used to fund vouchers that are accepted by processors participating in the program.

"Everybody wins," said Jason Foss, of Pheasants For The Future. "The Game and Fish gets revenue from the deer license sales. The deer herd gets thinned like the biologists want and there will be a few less cars hit with deer. The processors make money and, most importantly, the people who really need those food pantries get protein in their diet. It is much needed food."

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is encouraging hunters to donate deer to Sportsmen Against Hunger programs, especially since the threat of lead in venison has been thoroughly studied and guidelines developed by the North Dakota Department of Health. Venison packages distributed by food pantries will carry a warning label about the potential risk that venison harvested with bullets poses to pregnant women and children under 6 years of age.

"The CDC lead issue seems to be worked out with the recommendation from the Department of Health," said Pollert. "Ironically, the lead issue brought a lot of exposure to the Sportsmen Against Hunger program. It was kind of a silver lining. There's more processors on board this year and we'll have more quality meat on the shelves."

A list of processors involved with Sportsmen Against Hunger can be found at (www.capnd.org). Those in the Minot area wishing to obtain a voucher for the purpose of donating a deer should contact Jason Foss at North Country Marine in Minot or at 720-6962. The North Dakota deer gun season opens Friday.