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Hunters urged to help the hungry
Comments 0 | Recommend 0Share the Harvest will accept venison donations to benefit Pettis families
Saturday is opening day of firearms season in Missouri and hunters are encouraged to share their harvest to help families in need.
Kevin Polley, Pettis County conservation agent with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said hunters have the opportunity to donate their venison to benefit families in Pettis County through Share the Harvest.
“It’s a win, win,” Polley said.
Share the Harvest began in 1992 with a group of archery hunters in Missouri.
Today, Share the Harvest is a statewide system run by the Conservation Department and the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
The meat donated in Pettis County will be distributed to families through Open Door and the Salvation Army.
Hunters can take their deer to Kempf’s Custom Butchering in Sedalia or Ray’s Custom Butchering in Otterville. For only $5, hunters can have their whole deer processed and donated. Hunters also can donate portions of their deer.
The Conservation Federation of Missouri will reimburse the processors and in some counties, the donation can be made for free through additional local funds.
Polley said the two processors are limited to only 35 deer they can process through the program.
“Last year, we never met our quota,” Polley said.
In 2007, the Conservation Federation had to cap the number of deer accepted in the Share the Harvest program, but Gov. Jay Nixon visited Sierra Bullets on Thursday to announce economic incentives that would increase the collection of venison by more than 75 percent through the next three years.
“As Missourians of all ages head to the woods for opening weekend of firearms season, I encourage folks to contribute to Share the Harvest,” Nixon said. “Sharing the harvest is a great way to enjoy a time-honored Missouri tradition while also fulfilling a critical need for fresh, healthy meat in food banks across Missouri. By donating a deer to Share the Harvest, Missourians are literally putting food on the table for families in need during the holiday season.”
Gov. Nixon said the Missouri Department of Economic Development has approved the program for about $200,000 in Neighborhood Assistance Program economic incentives.
The funding will help increase the number of processors from 125 to 135 and the number of processed deer from 4,729 to 8,169 over the next three years throughout Missouri.
Last year during opening weekend of firearms season, 964 deer were harvested in Pettis County.
“This is a great way to stay in the field and donate to a very worthy cause,” Polley said.
For more information about Share the Harvest, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/share.
