Don't forget to donate to the Minnesota Venison Donation program!

    There are two simple methods of going about this.  One, make a nominal financial donation of $1, $3, or $5 anywhere you purchase your hunting or fishing licenses.  Or, more importantly, donate one or more of the deer that you harvest, at no cost to you, to one of the state approved meat processors located throughout the state.   

MN Approved Meat Processors for 2012 

    This program started back in 2004 as an additional method to deal with rising deer populations.  At the time with bonus tags as the norm, this program allowed hunters to continue hunting without the worry of wasted game and it gave the food shelves a boost of healthy lean meat.  In 2007, it received a financial contribution from the state of Minnesota.  Prior to 2007, the individual donating the deer had to pay for the processing.  The one time financial donation from the state in 2007 solidified the program and a financial plan was put in place.  The program now has been maintained by interest/investment of current monies, as well as non-resident hunting licenses, bonus tags, and additional hunters donations.

    Since 2007, there have been just over 4000 deer donated to the program netting a total of approximately 145,000 pounds of meat.  Due to lead findings a few years ago, additional precautions were added to catch any impurities in the meat.  The venison goes through additional screenings at FDA approved meat markets and then are X-rayed to help ensure the safety of the meat.  When hunters drop off their deer they must fill out the proper paperwork to transfer their registered deer.  All deer are inspected for illness, proper field dressing, and for any decomposition or contamination. 

    Once the deer are processed, the venison is picked up by the food banks.  There are six regional food bank entities throughout the state that support roughly 300 individual food shelves.  The regional food banks include: Channel One, Incorporated, Great Plains Food Bank, North Country Food Bank Incorporated, Secound Harvest Heartland, Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank.  Local food shelves sign up under these entities, which then distribute the meat, and then provide it to the families in need.

    The meat market that I stopped by had a brochure identical to the one below.  They recommended that if you choose to donate your deer, call ahead to the meat market to check on their processing hours and if they are still handling donations.  They explained the process thoroughly and positively endorsed the program.  This is just another way as hunters, we can positively endorse the sport and spend extra days in the woods.

Venison Donation Brochure

Below is a chart that shows how much food, nationally, was donated in 2010, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.  Minnesota was part of the largest region in the United States, in regards to venison donations!  These donations led to a total net of over 11 millions meals provided to people in need.

National Shooting Sports Foundation estimated venison donations for 2010