YOUNGSTOWN — Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley received 1,100 pounds of venison from the controlled deer hunt at Mill Creek MetroParks on Friday.

Ninety-four deer have been removed since the hunt began earlier this month. The Metroparks also paid for processing the deer meat.

Second Harvest sent a truck to pick up the meat from the meat processor just outside of Medina.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved venison will provide meals for 750 people, with each meal containing 1.5 pounds of meat.

Second Harvest Executive Director Michael Iberis said the meat was ground before being distributed in 5-pound packs.

“It’s (the meat) easier to work with, and they don’t have bones. Steaks have bones sometimes,” he said. “So we’ve found over the years this (ground) is the easiest way to take it. We do the same thing when we get donations of beef from the fair.”

Iberis said the meat will be distributed to 160 Harvest pantries and meal sites. The pantries will distribute one pack per family.

“Meal sites used to be called soup kitchens. They actually make the meal,” he said. “They’ll use it for meatloaf, they’ll use it for burgers, use it for things of that nature, like you’d use beef.”

He said the meals and packs are all provided free to people in need.

“If they need help with food and this is being provided to them at no cost, nutritious protein, then 750 meals is going to go a long way to help people that are in need,” he said.

The venison donation comes as more people are beginning to struggle because of inflation, he said.

“We’re seeing a spike in senior citizens that have been on fixed incomes for a long time,” Iberis said. “It’s tough on them because of the price of everything, not just food. You can go to Target, you go get gasoline, everything’s more expensive. Some of them have said ‘it’s the first time I’ve come here but I thank you for helping me.’”

Iberis said he believes it makes people happy to have the option of receiving venison.

“Venison is something that is unique and not everyone knows what venison is but for people who have eaten venison and enjoy venison, then it’s going to be a good thing for them because it’s hard to get unless you’re a hunter,” he said. “Most of these people are not hunters. Many of them are seniors and have families with little kids, so I think it’s just a fact that it’s going to make somebody happy if they can get a meal out of this.”

He said this is not the first time they’ve received hunted meat.

“Hunters have given us venison for decades,” he said.