A small group of men and women wearing aprons and gloves prepare venison meatballs at a stainless steel kitchen table in this photo provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and its Hunters Feeding Michigan program hosted the annual meeting of the American Sportsmen Hunger Relief Alliance – a nationwide coalition of independent state programs advocating for and growing wild game donations to reduce food insecurity at the local level – at the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit last week.

The Hunters Feeding Michigan program makes a positive difference in communities across the state by connecting hunters, wild game processors and charities to provide high-protein, nutritious venison meals to those in need.

This conference offered the opportunity for Michigan and other states to share their knowledge about building and growing successful wild game donation programs. Attendees, shown above, also got the chance to prepare and serve a meal (with venison donated through Hunters Feeding Michigan) to those in need in downtown Pontiac.

“We’ve learned a lot, and other states have learned a lot, about how to make the most of our efforts to help feed people in need,” said Joe Presgrove, DNR Hunters Feeding Michigan program specialist. “Joining in this national conversation helps us step up our game when it comes to reducing food insecurity in Michigan communities.”

Wild game donation program representatives from states including Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee also attended the conference.

The Hunters Feeding Michigan program offers hunters a way to share their harvest by donating their deer at a participating processor. A network of processors and charities channels the venison donations to those in need. Monetary donations also help support the program. Learn more at Michigan.gov/HuntersFeedingMichigan.