Hunters donate 348,535 pounds of venison to Share the Harvest
Missouri deer hunters donated 348,535 pounds of venison to the Share the Harvest program that gives extra meat to food banks and pantries - the largest total of pounds donated in recent history, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
MDC spokesman Joe Jerek said this season's harvest of donated venison is the largest since at least 2009.
Since starting in 1992, the Share the Harvest program has provided more than 4.3 million pounds of venison - including the most recent donations - according to a MDC news release.
This year's donated harvest included 6,795 whole deer.
Jerek did not have county-level data on meat donations but said the MDC's central region - which includes Cole County and surrounding counties - donated 46,670 pounds, the second-most of the regions in the state.
The top donating region was the northeast, at 58,432 pounds. The smallest regional total was the southeast, at 15,668 pounds.
Share the Harvest is a partnership between MDC and the Conservation Federation of Missouri, but it's also aided by more than 100 participating meat processors throughout the state that grind donated meat into consumer-friendly packages, as well as local and statewide financial sponsors.
Statewide sponsors include: Shelter Insurance, Bass Pro Shops, Gateway Area Chapter Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation, Midway USA Inc., Missouri Food Banks Association and MDC.
More information on Share the Harvest is available at confedmo.org/programs/outreach/share-the-harvest/.