WASHINGTON – Nearly 600 pounds of ground venison from the National Park Service is now being put to use at the D.C. Central Kitchen.
The venison is from a hunt in Rock Creek Park meant to control the white-tailed deer population, according the the Park Service. It was delivered to the food bank on April 30.
“We love sending out local produce and meat in our meals and that’s about as local as it gets! We’ll be using the meat to prepare a hearty venison and black bean chili,” says the post on the D.C. Central Kitchen’s Facebook page.
To make sure the food is safe to eat, the National Park Service tested the meat for Chronic Wasting Disease. “It is a neurological disease that is fatal to deer, but not known to be transmitted to humans,” an NPS news release says.
Another deer hunt is likely for the fall and will produce meat that will again be donated to local food banks, according to the National Park Service.
WTOP’s Hank Silverberg contributed to this report.
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