The Tennessee Wildlife Federation said hunter donations of white-tailed deer led to a record year for the Hunters for the Hungry program in the 2015-16 season.
Program manager Matt Simcox said more than 140,000 pounds of venison prepared by wild-game processors were picked up by food banks or soup kitchens, resulting in 576,000 meals for residents in need.
According to The Leaf-Chronicle, individual gifts allowed most of the program's 83 processors to process the animals free of charge to the hunter.
