LANSING, MI (WTVB) – The needy in Michigan are benefiting from the efforts of Michigan deer hunters, who donated a record amount of venison to feed hungry families across the state.
Newly released data shows hunters donated 58,355 pounds of venison last year to Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger (MSAH), an all-volunteer organization that partners with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Food Bank Council of Michigan, homeless shelters, food pantries, meat processors and deer hunters to help prevent hunger.
That’s nearly 12% more venison than the previous year and enough meat to provide 233,420 meals.
According to the Food Bank Council of Michigan, 16% of households in Michigan are struggling to put food on the table and 21% of children don’t know where their next meal will come from.
Since MSAH’s creation in 1991, hunters have donated over 746,005 pounds of ground venison – enough meat to serve close to 3 million meals in every region of the state.
In addition, most of the nonprofit’s funding comes from hunters and anglers.
Michigan legislators in 2005 established the Sportsmen Against Hunger Fund, which cleared the way for sportsmen and women to make monetary donations to the food program when purchasing hunting and fishing licenses. Since then, nearly $800,000 has been donated and used to reimburse meat processors who grind the venison into burger and ship it to food banks and pantries.
All game donations stay in the area where they are processed to feed the needy in nearby communities.
