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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) thank the thousands of Missouri deer hunters who donated 259,414 pounds of venison to the state’s Share the Harvest program this past deer season, including 4,855 whole deer. Thank you also to the more than 100 participating meat processors throughout the state who grind the donated deer meat into ready-to-use packages.
The donated deer meat goes to local food banks and food pantries to help feed hungry Missourians all around the state. To get Share the Harvest venison, contact local food banks or food pantries.
Since the program was started in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 4 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians, including this past season’s donations and 289,292 pounds of venison donated the year before.
The National Institutes of Health state that children need protein in their diets for proper growth and development, and adults need it to maintain good health. Yet many Missourians can't afford or can't get to good sources of protein. Through Share the Harvest, Missouri hunters can help provide those in need with high-quality protein in the form of naturally lean, locally harvested deer meat.
“Hunters started Share the Harvest because they saw a need in their communities and hunters remain the driving force behind this popular program that helps feed our fellow Missourians who are in need,” said MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. “We sincerely thank the thousands of deer hunters who support Share the Harvest, along with the many participating meat processors and sponsors who help make it possible.”
Processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local sponsors, along with statewide sponsors that include: MDC, CFM, Shelter Insurance, Bass Pro Shops, Missouri Chapter Whitetails Unlimited, Missouri Chapter Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation, Drury Hotels, Midway USA Inc., Missouri Deer Hunters Association, and Missouri Food Banks Association.
Share the Harvest is coordinated by MDC and CFM. For more information on Share the Harvest, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zoz.
