Hunters in Livingston County, Michigan, were able to donate more than 4,000 pounds of venison to Gleaners Food Bank over the weekend. 

At the end of 2024, Matt Graham attended an agriculture leadership conference in Kalamazoo County, where he learned about its Doe Derby. The Michigan Farm Bureau event in Livingston County, which was held on Jan. 3, 2026, allows hunters to donate venison in support of food assistance programs.

"I was sitting there thinking, 'Hey, that'd be really good for our county. That's something that we could do," said Graham. "They're like 'Absolutely, we would love that.'"

He said he started by reaching out to Gleaners Food Bank, which provides meals to Livingston County residents who are food insecure. 

Graham says the next step was finding a processing facility, and he said luckily, Great Lakes Meats and More processes venison and is part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Hunters Feeding Michigan program. It covers the cost of meat processing, so hunters who donate don't need to pay that fee. 

Graham said he wasn't sure how many deer they'd have to donate. 

"Total, it was something like 4,700 pounds worth of deer was donated, which was awesome," he said. 

Graham said he sees this competition, like the Doe Derby, as a double win as it's an opportunity for hunters to practice their hobby and feed the community.

He said venison is great for a lot of recipes, such as chili and even spaghetti sauces.  

"It's a lot of meat for people in need, and you know, at the same time, I see it as a win-win because I hate driving down the road and seeing a deer on the side, especially when we can put that meat to use for people who need it," he said.