Hunters For The Hungry Louisiana will host its annual Clean Out Your Freezer Day on Aug. 23, encouraging residents to make room in their freezers for the upcoming hunting season by donating frozen food.
The organization will accept properly packaged, labeled and dated game, fish and other protein, as well as other frozen food, at drop-off locations throughout the state. While most locations will accept donations Aug. 23 only, some will begin accepting donations as early as Aug. 17 or continue through Aug. 28.
“Moving Clean Out Your Freezer Day to late August the last few years have proven to result in great success with record breaking pounds of donations. We want to continue to make it convenient for all sportsmen as they’re preparing for the upcoming hunting season and possibly unloading from the fishing season,” said Julie Grunewald, executive director of Hunters For The Hungry Louisiana. “We’ve also continued to make the drop-off locations more convenient so you’ll find that we’re hosting at more markets, specifically with a few more Rouses Markets on the schedule. We feel this will be easier for everyone, especially as they’re shopping for the week ahead.”
Nearly 18,500 pounds of frozen goods were collected during Clean Out Your Freezer Day 2025, surpassing the 18,251 pounds collected in 2024. Hunters For The Hungry Louisiana hopes to exceed the 2025 total this year.
Donations are distributed through Louisiana’s five major food banks, as well as directly to shelters, kitchens and other agencies.
With support from local food banks, churches and community organizations, 2026 Clean Out Your Freezer Day drop-off locations will be available in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Central, Clinton, Denham Springs, Eunice, Gonzales, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Marksville, Monroe, Natchez, Natchitoches, Metairie, Opelousas, Ruston (Dubach), Shreveport, Slidell, Thibodaux, Youngsville and Zachary.
To find local drop-off locations, dates and times, visit cleanoutyourfreezer.com.
Hunters For The Hungry was started in 1994 by a group of local hunters. Its mission is to encourage hunters and fishermen to share wild game and fish to help combat hunger by partnering with Louisiana’s five major food banks and conducting programs such as Clean Out Your Freezer Day and the Freshly Harvested Game and Fish Program.