Hunters can feed the hungry through MDC’s St. Louis area Share the Harvest partnership

St. LOUIS, Mo.-$7.50 may not seem like a lot of money these days, but it can go a long way feeding those in need, thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Share the Harvest Program.

Inflation is putting the squeeze on many families now more than ever. Consider that a resident antlerless deer tag costs a hunter only $7.50. Imagine how many times over that tag can pay for itself with the amount of nutritious and healthy venison it can provide families in need.

The Share the Harvest Program provides food to the hungry through deer meat donated by hunters. Hunters can choose to give part or the entire deer they harvest. They simply bring their deer to an approved meat processor to process the venison, usually into ground meat, where it is then packaged for distribution.

Share the Harvest is a statewide partnership between MDC, the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), cooperating meat processors, and hunters. The St. Louis area is fortunate to have another key partner in the program, Operation Food Search (OFS). Thanks to contributions by OFS, St. Louis area hunters donating their entire deer through Share the Harvest can do so with little to no processing fees.

The Overland-based non-profit hunger relief organization feeds 200,000 people in need each month through over 200 outlets in the metro area. According to OFS, fresh protein like venison is one of the most popular items and the number one in demand.

Meat processors typically charge around $100 to process a deer into ready-to-prepare meat. CFM has funding to cover $75 for hunters donating whole deer statewide. Operation Food Search now contributes an additional $30 per deer. Cooperating processors in St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties agree to limit their deer processing fees so there is little to no net charge for donating hunters. All members in the partnership work together to help alleviate the costs for hunters who donate their entire deer.

"Operation Food Search is helping reduce costs for hunters who want to donate whole deer to Share the Harvest, so it's easier for them to participate," said MDC Conservation Agent Corporal Jeff Breuer.

The following is a list of meat processors in the St. Louis Region that parent with OFS to offer minimal to no cost processing for hunters donating for processing a whole deer, grouped by county.

St. Louis:

• Kenrick's Meats and Catering, South St. Louis County
• John's Butcher Shoppe, Overland

St. Charles County:

• Josephville Meat Processing, Wentzville

Jefferson County:

• John's Butcher Shoppe, Festus

Corporal Breuer reminds hunters that deer harvested from Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone counties can be donated only to processors participating in the Share the Harvest CWD Testing Program.

For more details on the Share the Harvest program and a list of these processors, visit mdc.mo.g6ov/share.