A Missouri program allows deer hunters to donate venison to help needy families. Share the Harvest, founded in 1992, is thriving and feeding thousands of people across Missouri. KSMU’s Briana Simmons has more.
Share the Harvest came about out through a partnership between the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation and other organizations and businesses.
Rehan Nana is the deputy director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
“If you look at Missouri there are about 1 in 5 people who rely on some type of food service and that’s according to different studies. So in 1992, these archers got together and said we have one of the largest free ranging red meat sources in the country, which is, of course, venison. So they recognized that hunters could get involved in helping fight that problem, which is statewide; there’s no one specific place for hunger needs or food insecurity. It was really a way to bridge the gap between the hunters and be able to feed the needy,” Nana said.
The Share the Harvest program meets the needs of hungry families by connecting three key players: hunters, processing plants and hunger relief agencies.
As Joe Jerek, news service coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation, explained, it’s easy to participate in Share the Harvest.
First, hunters take their venison to a participating meat processor and decide how much of it they will donate to Share the Harvest. The processing plant packages the ground meat and gives it to one of the 213 food banks in the state. Families can take home venison by contacting one of the participating food banks.
Hunters can donate all or part of their harvested deer. For whole carcasses, hunters are encouraged to inquire about reimbursements. According to Francis Skalicky, media specialist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, this is one of many benefits of the Share the Harvest program.
“There are benefits on both the receiving and giving end of this program. Obviously the main benefit it gets meat to needy families who are in need of it and really appreciate it. Venison is a very healthy meat. It’s much leaner than your domestically raised beef or pork,” Skalicky said.
More than 130 meat processors around the state participate in the Share the Harvest program. J & L Custom Processing of Walnut Grove and Turner Meat Processing of Fair Grove are the participating processers in Greene County. A full list of processors can be found in the Deer Hunting Regulations booklet available at Missouri Department of Conservation regional offices or by clickinghere.
In 2013, 4,487 hunters donated 227, 358 pounds of venison for Missourians.
