News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Danny Evans cleans up the processing space at Bucky’s Meat on Dallas Drive on Tuesday.

ALPENA — State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, who represents Northeast Michigan, voiced his disappointment with House Democrats who denied a Michigan Department of Natural Resources budget amendment that would have provided $600,000 for Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger.

Sportsmen Against Hunger is a nonprofit organization focused on donating processed venison with coordination between Michigan hunters, the DNR, and local nonprofits that can take the meat in for food pantries.

The House Appropriation Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources’ Democrat majority rejected the funding in the DNR budget on April 16 that was proposed by Rep. Greg Alexander, R-Carsonville.

“House Democrats just spit in the face of an organization just trying to reduce waste and feed the hungry,” Cavitt said in a statement. “Committee Democrats found $4 million for a fourth-grade field trip program but couldn’t find 15 percent of that for a non-profit donating venison to foodbanks across Michigan.”

According to the organization’s website, between October 2022 to September 2023, 3,560 pounds of venison was donated in Alpena and Montmorency counties, and distributed to local food pantries such as Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul.

However, according to Alisha Manning, owner of Bucky’s Meats in Lachine, the food processing company only received two deer this rifle season.

“They usually give $1.30 a pound to help cover the cost of processing the meat, but with the two deer we turned the costs ourselves,” Manning said. “This year, we were required by the DNR to get the deer tested for (bovine tuberculosis), which the hunters did, and then, because metal flakes were detected in meat downstate, they wanted someone with the DNR to x-ray the meat.”

Manning said after waiting for a few weeks, nobody from the DNR showed up, and the processing team decided to give what remained to local food pantries.

With the recent testing guidelines set by the DNR, Sportsmen Against Hunger seeks $30,000 to cover testing for organizers, along with $264,000 to obtain refrigerated trailers that can store deer and processed venison, and $300,000 for increased payments to processors to bring them to market rates to ensure participation and retention.

Maj. Prezza Morrison, corps officer and pastor of the Alpena Salvation Army, said the nonprofit’s pantry has received many donations from Sportsmen Against Hunger, but that this year’s donations were very small.

“I know they try to have these regulations to protect us, but sometimes it just seems like it makes it harder for us to receive things because of it,” Morrison said. “A lot of people don’t understand the impact of getting fresh produce for the pantry is a lot. It’s not just they get that in their stomach. These are healthy foods and the kids are healthier. We don’t want anyone to take anything from here and get sick, but we have to find some way to find that balance with regulations.”

House Bills 5511 and 5512, which contain the appropriations bills for the upcoming fiscal year, will now be considered by the House Appropriations Committee.