SHELTER INS. HELPS DEFRAY COST OF DEER MEAT DONATION

COLUMBIA -- A Missouri-based insurance company says it will pay part of the cost of processing deer donated to needy people through the "Share the Harvest" program.

Shelter Insurance Companies, headquartered in Columbia, has agreed to pay $20 toward the processing of any whole deer that a hunter donates to Share the Harvest. In previous seasons, hunters paid all or some of the cost of processing their deer before donating all or a portion of it to the program.

A hunter who wants to donate a whole deer to the program asks a participating meat processor for a Shelter Processing Payback coupon. The processor has only to sign the coupon and give it to the hunter, who fills in information on his address and telephone number. The hunter then presents the coupon and a receipt from the meat processor at a Shelter Insurance Office. Shelter will then mail the hunter a check for $20.

Processing typically costs $40 to $50 for skinning, boning, cutting and grinding, so the offer will cover about half of the hunter's cost.

If their regular processor is not participating in Share the Harvest, the county conservation agent may be able to direct them to a processor that does participate. As a last resort, they can call Dave Beffa at the Missouri Department of Conservation at (573)751-4115, ext. 819.