State Rep. Cam Cavitt today announced his plans to seek funding for the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger (MSAH) program in the state’s 2025 budget. Cavitt sits on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Appropriations subcommittee.

MSAH coordinates the efforts of Michigan hunters and licensed Michigan-based wild game processors to feed people in need.

“People harvest deer year-round. Whether it’s farmers with nuisance licenses or a surplus of deer during hunting season, there are always extra deer that need to be processed,” said Cavitt, R-Cheboygan. “MSAH gets the deer to processors and ensures all resulting venison gets to the dinner tables of people who need it.”

MSAH is entirely volunteer-run and coordinates with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. MSAH has donated 1.1 million pounds of processed venison and helped feed an estimated 4.6 million people.

In 2023, organizers said storage issues and low processor payments stressed the program. MSAH also faced increased DNR testing guidelines for chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis in certain counties.

“Paying processors a fair rate is vital for the program to continue, because they’re struggling with inflation just like the rest of us,” Cavitt said. “This additional funding would also allow the organization to ensure testing requirements are met and update equipment to better facilitate summer processing.”

MSAH is seeking a general fund investment of $264,000 to obtain refrigerated trailers that can store deer and processed venison, $300,000 for increased payments to processors to bring them to market rates to ensure participation and retention, and $30,000 to cover chronic wasting and tuberculosis testing, including shipping costs.

###