Jefferson City, MO (KTRS) The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri are thanking the thousands of Missouri deer hunters who donated to Share the Harvest.

Over 250-thousand pounds of venison was donated to the state’s Share the Harvest program this past deer season, including almost 5-thousand whole deer.

Over 100 participating meat processors throughout the state processed the donated deer meat into ready-to-use packages.

The donated deer meat goes to local food pantries to help feed hungry Missourians all around the state.

Since the program was started in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 4 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians.