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NATCHEZ — Hunters in the Miss-Lou will have an opportunity on Sept. 19 to help feed hungry people by donating leftover game meat.

Judith Jones, organizer for Hunters for the Hungry, said the game meat goes to the Natchez Stewpot and Catholic Charities.

“My parents, Richard and Judy Campbell, heard about the Hunters for the Hungry program on a family road trip in a magazine article about a guy who did it in another state,” Jones said. “They said that’s what they wanted to do in Natchez.”

The Hunters for the Hungry will take donations from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 19 for “Clean out Your Freezer day” at the Natchez Sports Center. Jones said in the past the event raised approximately 400-to-600 pounds of game meat and this year’s donations would include deer, turkey, elk, bison, duck and canned food.

“The local charities get a lot of donations around Christmas and Thanksgiving,” Jones said. “In the summer, it is important to make sure the charities get food because people get busy in the summer and this is when the charities need the food the most in their freezers. On Sept. 19, we will bring the food directly to the charities and fill their freezers.”

Michael Wimberly, 45, is a local hunter who donates his game to the event each year and he said he has been hunting for approximately 38 years. Wimberly said he involves his two sons, Tanner and Tripp, on hunting trips and with the Hunters for the Hungry.

“We’re usually participating in some kind of sport between my two sons, so when hunting season rolls around it’s a way to keep my boys involved outdoors and it’s just relaxing,” Wimberly said.

Wimberly said he started volunteering with the program when Richard Campbell started it in Natchez more than 20 years ago.

“It’s a great cause and it’s easy to participate in,” Wimberly said. “Everyone at some point is going to clean out their freezer and instead of throwing their food away, why not give it to someone who needs it? It’s an easy way to help out the community.”