The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Hunters Feeding Michigan program allows hunters to donate their harvest to those in need. In this photo, packages of frozen venison await distribution.
By: Nick Powers | C&G Newspapers | Published April 10, 2025
MICHIGAN — A Department of Natural Resources program is aiming to expand and provide more for those in need.
The DNR’s Hunters Feeding Michigan program allows hunters to donate their harvest at select processing locations throughout the state. The DNR is contracting with the Food Bank Council of Michigan to facilitate the program. The council links up donors, wild game processors and charities.
“It’s a privilege to work side by side with the Food Bank Council of Michigan to grow the Hunters Feeding Michigan program and to help channel venison donated by hunters to local food agencies throughout the state,” Joe Presgrove, DNR Hunters Feeding Michigan program specialist, said in a press release. “Together we will help many Michiganders in need!”
Hunters Feeding Michigan was established in 2005 by legislation and really got off the ground in 2007, according to Presgrove. He said the program’s numbers have been increasing each year. Since Oct. 1, 2024, Presgrove said, over 75,000 pounds of meat have been donated, working out to about 300,000 servings for the fiscal year so far. Presgrove estimates over 2.8 million servings have been provided since the program started.
The FBCM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and was started in 1984. It has seven regional food banks, covering all of Michigan’s 83 counties.
“We are excited to help partner with the participating deer processors and hunters to expand the Hunters Feeding Michigan program and are looking forward to what the future holds,” Garrett Zuver, Food Bank Council of Michigan Agriculture Program specialist, said in the release.
Hunters Feeding Michigan is primarily funded by voluntary donations when hunters and anglers sign up for licenses. Presgrove said these funds go toward processing expenses.
“We see the demand for good, clean protein at the food banks, so we’re trying to get creative with raising additional revenue or donations to put toward processing,” Presgrove said in a phone interview. “We reimburse our processors at a certain rate, and we want to make sure it’s a reasonable rate for them to continue processing deer for us.”
This year the DNR is getting some help from a local business. Sterling Heights-based Deer Camp Coffee Roasting Company & Outfitters, which started up in 2015, has partnered with the DNR to raise funds for the program. The funds support the processing and distribution of the donated meat. Donations at Deer Camp can be made by buying coffee bags of medium roast Donor Doe or dark roast Traditions. With Traditions, an embroidered DNR deer patch from the past is included.
“At Deer Camp, we believe in great coffee, strong traditions, connecting and giving back to the community,” Julie Majewski, Deer Camp’s director, said in the release. “This partnership with the DNR is more than just a collaboration — it’s a way for us to support hunters, conservation efforts and those in need. Every purchase makes a difference, and together, we can create lasting change, one cup at a time.”
According to Mike Tocco, who does media relations for Deer Camp, the company got involved with the program through Uncle Henry’s Gourmet Meats. Uncle Henry’s is one of the participating processors in the DNR program, and Deer Camp has a relationship with the company. He said the contribution from each coffee bag purchased is “very significant.”
“From our standpoint, because of the benefit from what they’re trying to do, it’s over $6 in some cases that we’re donating back,” Tocco said in a phone interview.
The Sterling Heights business is no stranger to getting involved in the community. Tocco pointed to Deer Camp’s partnerships with other local businesses, like Tennerra Winery. Tocco said students with disabilities from Utica Community Schools help bag and package coffee as part of a work training program. The company sponsors the Pure Michigan Hunt and has previously partnered with the DNR for a tree planting program.
“We did a tree planting program, which basically created wildlife in the Upper Peninsula that allowed deer to come in and habitat it,” Tocco said. “It also created more opportunities for them to not only be fed during harsh winters, but also manage the herds in an effective way.”
For a list of processors taking part in the DNR program, visit michigan.gov/dnr/about/get-involved/hunters-feeding-michigan.