The Community Food Pantry is hoping for at least 2,000 pounds of venison this year from area deer hunters through the Share the Harvest Program in Grundy County.
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The economy continues to challenge families to provide adequate protein for their diets and Community Food Pantry president Dennis Browning said, “We receive donations of can goods through food drives, but meat is always in short supply.”
All venison distributed through the pantry is ground and can be used in spaghetti, skillet dinners, meatloaf and burgers. To reach the 2,000 pound target, approximately 35 to 40 deer will need to be donated from hunters.
This year processing fees for deer donated to Share the Harvest will be provided by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and their corporate sponsors. Browning said that some of the many sponsors around the state include the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Missouri Department of Conservation, Bass Pro, Shelter Insurance, Missouri Association of Meat Processors, many local organizations and individuals and Missouri Food Banks Association. These sponsors are pooling their resources making it possible for deer hunters to donate their high protein deer venison to the needy through food banks and pantries at no cost to the hunter.
Hunters wanting to participate in the Share the Harvest program can take their legally harvested deer to the approved processor for donation. No fees are assessed to the hunter as all expenses are paid in Grundy County. This is not true in all counties because of the cost of processing varies.
Browning said that J & M Processing is the USDA inspected site where the deer can be dropped off for Share the Harvest in Grundy County. J & M Processing is 618 located at SW 65th St., Jamesport. The facility is located approximately five miles east of Jamesport. Signs are visible along State Highway F and the junction with SW 65th Street. The location is approximately one mile north of the highway once persons make the turn on the gravel road.
“A big thank you to all hunters that plan to donate their time and venison toward the success of the 2011 Share the Harvest Program,” Browning said. “Each pound of venison donated is one more meal that is possible to a family in need.