Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger Talks Deer Donation on Mike Avery’s Outdoor Magazine
Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger recently joined Mike Avery on Outdoor Magazine to talk about a simple way Michigan hunters can make a big difference this deer season: donate a deer and help put high-quality ground venison on the tables of neighbors in need.
MSAH President Scott Baker joined Mike during the September 19 edition of the show for a conversation about how the program works, where donated deer go, why local processors are such an important part of the effort, and why financial donations are just as important as donated deer. Avery Show Transcript
Listen to the full show here:
https://mikeaveryoutdoors.libsyn.com/outdoor-magazine-radio-91926
Our segment begins at approximately 1 hour and 4 minutes.
Hunters Helping Their Neighbors
Mike opened the conversation by talking about the positive role hunters can play in their communities.
Donating venison, he noted, not only demonstrates what Michigan’s hunting community contributes — it directly helps families who need food.
That is exactly what Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger was built to do.
MSAH has been serving Michigan since 1991. Today, the organization is 100% donation-funded, relying on individuals, businesses, conservation organizations, grants and other community supporters to make the program possible.
Those contributions help support a network of more than 70 participating processors across Michigan.
Hunters donate deer. Local processors turn those deer into packaged ground venison. Food pantries and other hunger-relief organizations then distribute that venison in their communities. Avery Show Transcript
It is a straightforward system built around Michigan hunters helping Michigan neighbors.
Find a Processor Before You Hunt
One of Mike’s first questions was a practical one:
How does a hunter know where to take a donated deer?
The answer is the Find a Processor map on our website.
Participating locations are listed with contact information and, where available, additional details such as drop-off information and links to processor websites or social media pages.
Before heading out this season, hunters can find a participating processor here:
https://sportsmenagainsthunger.org/hunters/find-a-processor/
And importantly, a hunter donating a deer through MSAH does not pay the processing bill.
That is where financial supporters come in.
Keeping the Impact Local
One of the most important parts of our conversation with Mike was the local nature of the program.
MSAH works to ensure that participating processors are reimbursed for their work. More than 90% of the contributions MSAH receives go back toward processor reimbursements.
Some processors generously donate some or all of their services, but our model is built around supporting the businesses doing this work.
That creates a cycle of local impact:
A hunter harvests a deer locally.
A nearby processor does the work.
Financial support helps pay that processor.
And the finished ground venison goes to food pantries, churches, soup kitchens and other hunger-relief organizations serving people in that area.
As Scott explained during the interview, it is a “very local-centric” program. Avery Show Transcript
Food Pantries Need Protein
Mike also asked where the venison ultimately goes.
The answer is a wide range of local hunger-relief organizations — and demand continues to grow.
MSAH regularly hears from organizations looking for additional venison. The challenge is not finding places that can use it. The challenge is getting enough donated deer into the system and raising enough money to process them.
Food pantries can often obtain shelf-stable foods. High-quality protein can be considerably harder to source.
That is where donated venison fills an important need.
Every deer donated through the program is processed into ground venison, giving participating hunger-relief organizations a versatile source of protein they can distribute to the families they serve. Avery Show Transcript
About $100 Can Turn One Deer Into 160 Servings
The economics of the program are powerful.
For planning purposes, MSAH can process a donated deer for approximately $100.
A typical donated doe yields around 40 pounds of ground venison.
At four servings per pound, that means:
One donated deer = approximately 160 servings.
That works out to roughly 63 cents per serving. Avery Show Transcript
That is why both sides of this program matter.
We need hunters willing to donate deer.
And we need individuals and organizations willing to help pay to process them.
Our Goal: 3,500 Deer
During the interview, we shared an ambitious goal for this season:
Raise $350,000 to help process 3,500 donated deer.
If we reach it, those deer could provide approximately:
140,000 pounds of ground venison
and
560,000 servings for Michigan families.
Those numbers sound big, but they start with something much smaller:
One hunter. One deer. One $100 contribution. One local processor. One community choosing to take care of its neighbors.
At the end of the segment, Mike offered a straightforward endorsement:
“I would encourage Michigan hunters to get involved in this program.”
We couldn’t agree more. Avery Show Transcript
You Can Help This Hunting Season
There are two immediate ways to make an impact.
If you hunt: consider donating a deer this season. Check our processor map before heading into the woods so you know where your nearest participating location is.
If you don’t hunt — or already have enough venison in your freezer: help us pay to process someone else’s donated deer.
A contribution of approximately $100 can help turn one deer into about 160 servings of ground venison for neighbors in need.
Find a participating processor:
https://sportsmenagainsthunger.org/hunters/find-a-processor/
Make a donation:
https://sportsmenagainsthunger.org/donate/
Thank You, Mike
We want to thank Mike Avery and the Outdoor Magazine team for giving us the opportunity to share our mission with outdoorsmen and women across Michigan.
For an organization like ours, reaching Michigan hunters directly is critical. They are the people in the woods, the people supporting conservation and the people who can turn an additional harvest into something that directly helps another family.
If you missed the conversation, you can listen to the full September 19 show here:
https://mikeaveryoutdoors.libsyn.com/outdoor-magazine-radio-91926
Jump to approximately 1:04:30 to hear the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger segment.