REYNOLDS COUNTY, Mo. — A food pantry in southern Missouri got a hefty surprise on Tuesday just in time to feed needy families during the holidays.
Missouri Department of Conservation agent Kaleb Neece delivered 347 pounds of venison donated by the county's deer hunters to the Reynolds County Food Bank, according to a post from the department. The donations were made through the department's Share the Harvest program which allows hunters to donate their surplus meat.
READ MORE: Don't let your extra deer meat go to waste. How you can donate it to help St. Louis-area families
"In the 31 years of the (Share the Harvest) program’s existence, nearly 5 million pounds of venison have been donated by hunters and provided to local food banks," MDC said in its Facebook post.
MDC's website offers a county-by-county list of every processor participating in the Share the Harvest program. When at one of the sites, hunters simply let the processor know how much of their meat they'd like to donate and how much they'd like to keep.
Even if the meat comes from a Chronic Wasting Disease Management county, it is thoroughly tested before it is donated. The CDC hasn't identified any cases of humans getting the virus through consuming infected venison, but advises people not to consume venison that has tested positive.
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