Share
the Harvest helps out hungry citizens
Amy Dunlap, posted Nov. 17, 2006
Take
a drive through Missouri rural areas and you will probably
see some people dressed in camouflage and bright orange. It
is the beginning of deer gun season and Missouri hunters are
in full swing trying to bag that big buck. Along with trying
to get that trophy buck, hunters are also thinking about feeding
our states hungry citizens.
Share the Harvest is a program, sponsored by the Missouri
Department of Conservation, which allows Missouri deer hunters
to share some of their venison with food banks across the
state. According to Bill Kohne, Missouri Conservation Department’s
Protection Division Program Coordinator, the Share the Harvest
program is a well established program. “The program
began in the early 1990s. It began in the Columbia area with
bow hunters giving venison meat to the hungry.”
The program has evolved into more than that now. “Hunters
are now able to share their venison by taking their kill to
processors. It allows allows hunters to hunt more deer without
having to worry about not using all the venison meat,”
said Kohne. The program also helps to control the deer population.
“The secondary purpose of the program is to keep the
deer population in check,” said Kohne. The MDC sponsors
urban hunts in the cities of Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City
and Springfield. “They are antler less deer hunts and
all hunters have to do is to bring their kill to the processors
for free,” said Kohne. “I think the numbers will
be the same as last year. Last years program brought in 270
to 280 thousand pounds of venison meat. Hopefully we will
reach those numbers again.”
Don Moore, Food Solicitor for the Central Missouri Food Bank
in Columbia, said the program is “hugely successful”
for the CMFB. Moore said the program allows the CMFB to distribute
food to 142 agencies that allow people to take the meat directly
home to them.
Where can Missouri hunters bring their deer to be processed
for the Share the Harvest Program? Hunters can go to the MDC
Web site to find participating meat processors near them.
“There are 125 processors in the Missouri area. They
can be found in the back of the deer and turkey pamphlets.
These places can be called and can be asked if the processing
fees can be lessened and sometimes if you donate a whole deer
the entire fee might be waived. You need to check with your
individual lockers,” said Kohne. You do not have to
donate a whole deer to help out with the program. “People
can help out the program by donating a couple pounds of venison
meat.”
Visit Share
the Harvest Web site for more information about the program.
