NATCHEZ — Every hunting season, some hunters bite off a little more than they can chew.

And soon after, they find themselves with leftover meat on their hands.

Now, with Hunters for the Hungry, outdoorsmen can find a place to get rid of that meat, while also helping the community.

“We recently had our annual clean out the freezer day, which is when we ask local sportsmen to clean out anything left over in their freezer, and we donate it to local charities,” said Hunters for the Hungry volunteer Judith Jones.

“We set up a spot every year for it.”

Even though the event has passed, the organization is looking to continue its donations to local charities with the help of hunters.

“We are about to put signs up around town, and hunters can donate throughout the year,” Jones said. “They can donate anything by calling me, and I’ll coordinate things.”

Hunters for the Hungry isn’t new to the area, but Jones said many people may have not heard of it yet.

“When I was a kid, my mom and dad read an article about a guy that did Hunters for the Hungry, and they decided it was something they wanted to do at home,” Jones said. “So they started it in the Baton Rouge area and it has grown all over Louisiana. My dad is from Natchez, and I moved here and told him that we needed to stretch it out to the Natchez area.”

Now the group serves primarily four Natchez charities, and Jones hopes that one day they will be able to provide more than just deer.

“I would like to try to get more donations of fish,” she said. “That is something that in the future I would like to start working on. I also want to start trying to work on something out of the hunting season, so we can continue to help these charities.”

Jones said that one of the main reasons the group has been successful is the participation of processers.

“My dad had set up a great network of local processers, who are very willing to help us process the deer and game and get it to local charity,” Jones said.

“These processers go out of their way and do it for a discounted rate.”

Even if interest isn’t huge to begin with, Jones still wants to get the word out that Hunters for the Hungry is around.

“Letting outdoorsmen know where they can drop things off is our drive right now,” she said.

“If we have a great hunting season, we can go and fill these charity’s freezers for an entire year. We just want to get the word out and let people know this is something they can do.”

For more information on Hunters for the Hungry, visit hunters4hungrylouisiana.org. To make a donation, call Jones at 601-870-1071.