by Mark Chesnut - Friday, February 21, 2025
The NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum (HLF) has again stepped up to help feed hungry children in the Show Me State. On Feb. 10, the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) announced it had received a $30,000 donation from NRA HLF for the second consecutive year to support its “Share the Harvest” Hunters for the Hungry (HFH) initiative and Snack Stick program to ensure ongoing results for communities statewide.
“This generous contribution from the NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum (HLF) and The NRA Foundation is a testament to the power of collaboration in conservation and hunger relief,” said Tyler Schwartze, executive director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. “Through their support, we can connect more hunters with families in need while also helping to manage Missouri’s deer population.”
Readers of this website will recall that the NRA HLF also donated $30,000 to the Snack Stick program in 2024. The venison snack sticks are included in what the CFM calls “Buddy Packs,” or pre-packaged meals that the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri (FBCNM) distributes to schools in its 32-county service area.
Food insecurity is a serious problem throughout the United States. Central and northeast Missouri is no exception as the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri documents that one in six children in its service area faces hunger, with more than half qualifying for free or reduced-price meals at school. It also notes that those who face food insecurity are more likely to experience problems at school, suffer from anxiousness and irritability, and repeat a grade compared to peers who are not food insecure.
While providing meals that include healthy venison snack sticks is a good start to keeping them fed, the food shortage problem reoccurs when they go home for the weekend. As this NRA HLF website shared following last year’s NRA donation, acquiring high-quality protein such as venison is especially problematic for less privileged children because of the prohibitive cost. The Buddy Packs’ venison snack sticks help to ensure they have food until school reopens on Monday. It costs about $7.50 per child to provide a Buddy Pack over a single weekend.
“We are very proud to be a part of the Conservation Federation of Missouri’s network to help with their important initiative,” said Peter Churchbourne, managing director of the NRA HLF. In giving credit where it is due, the NRA is quick to thank the NRA HLF donors for their funding and appreciates the many hunters who continue to donate their surplus venison.
Hunters can participate in the Share the Harvest program to help feed the disadvantaged by taking their deer to any participating meat processor and choosing how much venison to donate. Since its inception in 1992, the program has provided nearly 5 million pounds of venison to Missouri families in need, thanks to the dedication of hunters and partnerships with organizations like Feeding Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation. The additional support from the NRA ensures that even more Missourians benefit from hunters’ this vital initiative.