Share the Harvest teams up with Marshfield School District for Missouri’s first deer donation drive

MARSHFIELD, Mo. – With the holiday season fast approaching, Marshfield students are ready to help feed their fellow classmates and families, but they need hunters’ help first. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and partners are asking hunters to support a Share the Harvest (STH) Deer Donation Drive in Webster County.

This Share the Harvest Deer Donation Drive will take place Dec. 5-6, through a partnership between MDC, Share the Harvest partners, Marshfield School District, and Zimmerman Quality Meats.

Hunters can support local families by dropping off deer from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 5-6 at Marshfield High School’s Agriculture Building, 370 State Highway DD. The event coincides with the opening weekend of the late antlerless portion of firearms deer season. All donated deer must be field-dressed and Telechecked prior to drop-off.  

“We are incredibly excited to see our Marshfield R-1 agriculture students, MDC, Zimmerman’s Meats, and local hunters come together through this partnership to support students and families in need,” said Marshfield School Superintendent Garrett Lowder.

Zimmerman Quality Meats will process the donated deer into venison for distribution within the community, including the school district’s backpack program. While deer donations are free for hunters, community members can also make monetary donations to help offset processing costs.

“This pilot represents an exciting opportunity to engage students and communities through Share the Harvest in a new way,” said STH Expansion Coordinator Jake Hindman. “The Marshfield School District and Zimmerman Quality Meats are leading the way in an effort that can serve as a model for similar deer donation drives across Missouri. We encourage area hunters to harvest and donate a deer during this first-ever event to support Marshfield students and families in need.”

In addition to helping feed the community, Marshfield Agricultural Education students will take 10 of the donated deer and work with younger students to give them hands-on experience in meat processing and workforce skills.  

“This is all about kids teaching kids, which brings real-world, hands-on learning into the classroom while helping students develop a better connection to conservation,” said MDC Education District Supervisor Marty Marsh.

MDC and Marshfield Agriculture Education students will also host a free public Field-to-Freezer demonstration from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at Marshfield High School to teach community members how to process their own deer. Attendees can register for the workshop at mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/222806

"This program is a great example of what Agricultural Education (Ag-Ed) is all about,” said Marshfield Ag-Ed Teacher Justin Cron. “One of the most rewarding parts of teaching Ag-Ed is watching students realize that the skills they're learning can be used to make a difference outside the classroom. They're learning valuable skills in meat processing and food production, but more importantly, they're learning the value of serving others and giving back to their community.”

As one of the nation’s first venison-donation programs, STH has provided more than six million pounds of venison to help feed hungry Missourians since it was started in 1992 by Missouri hunters who wanted to share their harvested deer with neighbors facing food insecurity. The statewide deer-donation program is administered by MDC, the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), the Missouri Association of Meat Processors, and Feeding Missouri in collaboration with hunters, meat processors, food banks and pantries, local businesses, and sponsors.

Learn more about STH from MDC at mdc.mo.gov/share and from CFM at confedmo.org/share-the-harvest/

Make a monetary donation to Marshfield Deer Donation Drive at marshfield.infinitecampus.org/campus/store/marshfield/school-store/1/13/products

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