Chelsea Hunters Lend a Helping Hand to Faith In Action

Hunters in the Chelsea area quietly made a meaningful impact this hunting season through donations made to local organizations such as Faith In Action.

Through the organization, Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger (MSAH), Chelsea hunters turned a local resource into direct support for area families by donating venison to provide nutritious meals to families in need.

This season, 14 deer from the Chelsea area were donated to provide approximately 560 pounds of ground venison and an estimated 2,240 servings of lean, nutritious protein for local families. Venison is a lean, high-protein food that is especially valuable for families facing food insecurity.

To learn more about this effort, the Sun Times News followed up with Scott Baker, a spokesman for Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger.

Baker said the donations were coordinated through the MSAH, which is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. He said local hunters voluntarily donated 14 legally harvested deer through participating wild game processors, in this case the Beef Barn in Jackson.

“Those processors prepared the venison specifically for hunger-relief purposes, and MSAH reimburses the processors so there is no cost to either the hunter or the receiving charity,” Baker said.

Here in Chelsea, Baker said, “Once processed, the venison was distributed to Faith In Action to be used locally.”

The venison is processed into ground meat and provided to Faith In Action at no cost. It is then distributed directly to individuals and families served by the organization, often incorporated into meal programs or food assistance distributions, Baker said. 

This program is not only having an impact locally, but also throughout the state.

Baker said the MSAH anticipates facilitating the donation of approximately 2,000 deer this season, which equates to roughly 75,000 pounds of ground venison and an estimated 300,000 servings of lean, nutritious protein for Michigan families. Since the program began in 1991, MSAH estimates that more than 1.26 million pounds of processed venison have been distributed statewide.

The MSAH works with nonprofit food banks, pantries, shelters, and community organizations across Michigan to ensure donated venison stays in local communities and reaches people experiencing food insecurity.

The MSAH receives no funding from the State of Michigan either. Baker said all program funding comes from the generosity of charitable organizations, Michigan businesses, conservation organizations and individual contributors. It has no paid staff and operates entirely through volunteers, which allows more than 95 percent of all funds raised to be returned directly to the program.

Those donated funds are used primarily to reimburse participating wild game processors, helping cover processing costs while also injecting income back into local businesses, according to Baker.

“This approach supports the local economy and strengthens the local-to-local model that defines the program,” Baker said.

Photo 1: Packaged Venison. Photo courtesy of the MSAH

Photo 2: The venison is given to nonprofit food banks, pantries, shelters, and community organizations across Michigan. Photo courtesy of the MSAH

Photo 3: The venison is given to people in need. Photo courtesy of the MSAH