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SIKESTON, MO - The Share the Harvest Program has had big impacts on food insecurity in southeast Missouri and is continuing this year as deer hunting season continues.

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank is looking forward to reaping benefits from hunters as well with the Share the Harvest Program. 

“Share the Harvest has been going on for many, many years," Donor Relations and Communications Manager Heather Collier said, from the Southeast Missouri Food Bank.  "It is a great program that allows Missouri hunters to donate their harvested deer meat, venison, to local food banks and food pantries.�

Finding meat for people struggling with hunger is one of the toughest jobs for food banks and pantries, and SEMO Food Bank serves over seventy thousand people every month. 

“Protein is always one of the most requested items," Collier said.  "It’s an important item for a healthy diet and it’s the most expensive to acquire for food banks and for people facing hunger.�

Being located in an area that’s highly rural produces a lot of hunters every year in Missouri. 

The biggest thing is that no one wants the meat to go to waste, especially with the increase of food insecurity that’s happened due to inflation. 

“There are so many hunters in southeast Missouri," Collier said.  "You know, if you’re not going to eat the meat, if you’re looking for your trophy buck, that’s wonderful, put it on the wall. But don’t let the meat go to waste because there are people struggling to put food on the table and that is such a treat for them.�

The program pays for the processing of the meat, as long as the deer is taken to an approved location. 

In SEMO Food Bank’s service area, the approved meat processors are: Elderland Meats in Zalma, Jackson Frozen Foods in Jackson, Ozark Meats in Grandin, Walker's Meat Processing in Fredericktown, Stonie's Sausage Shop in Perryville, Oberle Meats in Ste. Genevieve and Piedmont Processing in Piedmont.

Once a deer has been donated and processed, the meat will be distributed to one of the food bank’s partner agencies to be shared with families and individuals facing hunger.