WASHINGTON (AP) — For people staying in homeless shelters in the District of Columbia, deer meat is what's for dinner.

The National Park Service says it has donated 1,300 pounds of venison to the DC Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that prepares meals for shelters and transitional housing. The meat comes from 36 of the animals that were killed as part of a deer management plan.

Officials say managing the number of deer is necessary for a healthy, diverse forest that supports native vegetation and wildlife.

Officials say the deer are tested to make sure they do not have a neurological disease before the venison is donated. The Park Service says it has donated approximately 7,300 pounds of venison to the DC Central Kitchen since 2013, when it began working to reduce the park's deer population.