LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) program that turns donated venison into meals for those in need processed 140,000 pounds of meat in fiscal year 2025. It’s a new annual record.

Hunters Feeding Michigan connects donors, wild game processors, and charities to people who need help.

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This year’s donations translate into more than 560,000 servings of venison donations.

Hunters Feeding Michigan program specialist Joe Presgrove said the number of hunters who donate their harvest keeps expanding every year. “I frequently receive calls and letters from the local food pantries thanking the program for providing much needed protein to their communities,” he said.

The success of Hunters Feeding Michigan is a team effort. Presgrove said it is dependent on hunters, financial donations, processors, the Food Bank Council of Michigan, and the Feeding America food distribution network.

Since 2007, the program has served up more than 3 million servings of venison to Michigan residents in need.