A local deer processor has partnered with the Mississippi Wildlife Federation to fight hunger in Lincoln County. Boyd Deer Processing on Highway 583 SE in Ruth is participating in the Mississippi Hunter’s Harvest program. Hunter’s Harvest works with deer hunters and processors from across the state to provide donated deer venison to local food charities.

Deer hunters can choose to donate all or a portion of their harvest to the program in one of several ways. The hunter can “pitch in a pound” where they donate a portion of their processed order to the program or they can donate an entire deer and either pay the processing fee themselves or request that the Hunter’s Harvest program pay the expenses for processing. The venison is then ground and kept in frozen storage until it is picked up by a local charity for use in that charity’s food program.

“White-tailed deer are an overly abundant natural resource here in Mississippi,” says Brad Young, Executive Director of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. “Hunter’s Harvest is a great way for deer hunters to manage the resource and help those that are less fortunate at the same time.”

Boyd Deer Processing is partnered with a food charity within Lincoln County. Donated venison is distributed to the Brookhaven Outreach Ministries. The local food charity is identified by the Mississippi Food Network and benefit greatly from a source of lean, healthy protein that is often lacking in the diets of those less fortunate.

It is estimated that some 400,000 Mississippians, including over 93,000 children, live below the federal poverty line and receive emergency food each year. Last year during the 2015-2016 hunting season, the program collected and distributed almost 9,000 pounds of ground venison resulting in almost 36,000 meals of much needed protein. With close to 30 participating deer processors throughout the state, the Mississippi Wildlife Federation expects this year’s Hunter’s Harvest to be better than ever.

To learn more about the Hunter’s Harvest program, visit the Mississippi Wildlife Federation website at www.mswildlife.org/hunters-harvest or call (601) 605-1790.