Hunters can donate all or a portion of the meat from deer harvested to help feed the hungry in the state
The height of deer hunting season means long days and full coolers at Josephville Meat Processing, where nearly 200 deer are expected on the opening weekend of the firearms portion of the season in November.
Some of that deer meat will go to families in need as donations to local food pantries through the statewide Share the Harvest program. It’s a practical way that Missouri hunters can live out one of the corporal works of mercy — to feed the hungry.
Josephville Meat Processing is one of more than 75 meat processors that participate in the program, a partnership among the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation, area meat processors and the state’s food banks and food pantries, to provide venison donated by hunters to Missouri families in need. Last year, more than 250,000 pounds of venison were donated to food pantries across the state.
Program volunteers who pick up the donated meat for distribution “talk about how excited people are when they take it to the food pantries this time of year, how excited they are because of the abundance,” said Adam Richardson, owner of Josephville Meat Processing and a member of St. Joseph Parish in Josephville. “People need help, and it’s something to keep their families fed. We get people that call here asking about it — ‘Hey, how can I get this?’”
Missouri’s deer season opened with archery hunting on Sept. 15, with the height of the season beginning in November with several firearms portions. Hunters may donate venison through Share the Harvest at any time during or right after the season concludes in January.
Here’s how it works: Hunters take their harvested deer to an approved meat processor and indicate whether they want to donate all or part of the meat. Meat processing fees are covered entirely or partly through the meat processor and grants from the Department of Conservation and other sponsors, including Feeding Missouri, a coalition of the six Missouri food banks.
The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry at St. Patrick Parish in Wentzville received 576 pounds of venison from Share the Harvest in the 2024-2025 season. The pantry serves about 35 households each week, and last year served more than 3,500 individuals, conference president Joe Schneider said.
The pantry has received donated venison for several years, and Schneider said the meat provides a protein-rich option for families in need.
“With the price of ground beef at $6 or $7 dollars a pound, our funds go very quick in trying to provide a minimal amount of ground beef” to families, Schneider said. “Deer meat is a great substitute. Not everyone wants it, and there are some who ask for it, but it is something we can offer.”
The donated venison helps increase the overall amount of meat the food pantry can provide to clients, Schneider said. “It’s very helpful, and when we are able to give out venison, then we can cut back on a package of chicken or other meat, so there’s more to go around,” he said. “It’s a win-win all the way around, in that it’s one more thing the pantry doesn’t have to buy.”
Every November, Jeff Schneider and his three children, ages 13 to 19, head out for their annual deer hunt. For the past 10 years, they’ve donated part of their venison to the Share the Harvest program and plan to do the same when the season opens Nov. 15.
“We’re fortunate enough to have plenty of deer around and to donate to a cause like that is always good to help teach the kids,” said Schneider, a member of Holy Rosary Parish in Warrenton.
Schneider learned about the program through a conservation department publication, and their first donation prompted a discussion about the need to help others in the community. “We have a St. Vincent de Paul (food pantry) at our parish and were familiar with that because we typically donate at Thanksgiving,” Schneider said. “So they were already familiar with that, and it was cool to be able to share all the ways you can help feed the hungry and donate.”
The program highlights good stewardship by feeding those in need while also managing Missouri’s whitetail deer population, said Jake Hindman, the conservation department’s Share the Harvest expansion coordinator.
“It really is this combination that makes Share the Harvest so successful,” Hindman said. “Share the Harvest gives hunters an efficient and local way to manage deer and feed families. This is a win for conservation and communities.”
The conservation department is working on ways to increase awareness and participation in the program. Part of that includes increasing support for meat processors who have to test deer for chronic wasting disease (CWD) before the meat can be donated. The department is also looking for additional funding sources to help cover processing fees, Hindman said.
Operation Food Search, which is part of the Feeding Missouri coalition of food banks, provides some grant funding for deer processing and serves as a point of contact for distribution to food pantries, chief operating officer Carlton Adams said.
Share the Harvest is one way that helps address the ongoing issue of food insecurity in the region, he said. One in seven people, including one in six children in the bi-state region, are food insecure, according to data from Feeding America.
“Food insecurity means not just a lack of food, but a lack of nutrition,” Adams said. “This has been a really wonderful program for a number of years.”
Share the Harvest at a glance
The program started in 1992.
It is a partnership between the Missouri Department of Conservation, Conservation Federation of Missouri, hunters, Missouri meat processors, food banks/food pantries and communities.
More than 6 million pounds of venison have been donated through the program since its inception.
Last year, more than 4,000 deer and nearly 250,000 pounds of venison were donated.
More than 75 meat processors participate in the program.
To learn more about Share the Harvest and how to participate, visit stlreview.com/43WCJ8P .
