Press Release – Share the Harvest and Help Feed Missouri Families
Jefferson City, MO | November 14, 2014 – Share the Harvest is a partnership between the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation, regional food banks, local food pantries and meat processors to provide venison donated by hunters and processors to Missouri families in need.
“As Missourians head out to hunt early on Saturday morning, they are continuing a time-honored tradition in the Show-Me State,” Gov. Nixon said. “Another Missouri tradition is helping our neighbors in need. Each year, hunters throughout the Show-Me State help tens of thousands of struggling families put food on the table through the Share the Harvest program. I’m proud to be part of this tradition, and I encourage all Missouri hunters to join me in donating a deer to help feed Missouri families in need.”
During the archery and firearms deer seasons, the Share the Harvest program subsidizes a portion of the cost of butchering and packaging whole deer donated by Missouri hunters; in many communities, local partners cover the remainder of the processing costs. To participate, hunters take their deer to an approved processor and indicate how much venison they wish to contribute, ranging from a few pounds to a whole deer.
Now in its 23rd season, the Share the Harvest program is continuing to provide donated venison to families in need. During the 2013 hunting season, more than 4,400 hunters donated 227,358 pounds of venison, bringing the total donated to Share the Harvest since 2009 to more than 1,375,000 pounds. During each of the past five hunting seasons, Gov. Nixon has donated a whole deer to Share the Harvest.
The 2014 Missouri firearms deer season opens Nov. 15, and runs through Nov. 25. Archery season for deer began Sept. 15 and runs through Nov. 14, and then will resume on Nov. 26 through Jan. 15. There also are hunting seasons for youth, for hunters using muzzleloaders and other approved alternative hunting methods, and for harvesting antlerless deer.
In addition to the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Department of Conservation, statewide sponsors of the cost-reduction program include Bass Pro Shops, Shelter Insurance, Missouri Chapter Whitetails Unlimited, Missouri Chapter Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation, Drury Hotels, Midway USA Inc., the Missouri Deer Hunters Association and the Missouri Food Banks Association.
To learn more about the Share the Harvest program and to find a complete list of participating meat processors, please visit wwwconfedmo.org/share-the-harvest/.
CFM Magazine
