A hard-fought battle by a local hunting advocate has resulted in what will be the very first donation of moose meat through Sharing the Harvest NL.

Barry Fordham’s 18-year-old son Shane bagged a moose on his first day out under the Newfoundland Outdoor Heritage Coalition’s Charity moose license.

He says once it’s processed, it will result in approximately 500 one-pound packages of ground meat for area food banks.

Fordham led the charge for allowing game meat to be donated to food banks.

Special permits are available to registered food banks throughout the province that allows them to accept and distribute donations of moose and caribou.

Permits are available through the Department of Fisheries Forestry and Agriculture up to one week after the close of the big game hunting season which ends January 7, 2021.

Hunters may donate meat directly to participating food banks or through Share the Harvest NL, as long as the meat is processed at a government-licenced meat processing facility.