State Rep. John Roth on Thursday announced his intentions to join an effort to secure funding for the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger (MSAH) program in the state’s 2025 budget. MSAH coordinates the efforts of Michigan hunters and licensed Michigan-based wild game processors to feed people in need.

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.

“Anyone living in Northern Michigan recognizes that we have a whole lot of hunters and a whole lot of deer,” said Roth, R-Interlochen. “Remarkable organizations like MSAH can connect folks who enjoy hunting recreationally with a feasible way to donate the deer they harvest.”

Democrats on the House Appropriation Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources rejected an attempt by Rep. Greg Alexander, R-Carsonville, to include the funding in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) budget. The proposed amendment failed on a party-line vote last week.

“It was disappointing and honestly shocking to see Democrats reject funding for a nonprofit whose only mission is to provide valuable protein for hungry people,” Roth said. “MSAH isn’t a political organization. I hope my colleagues across the aisle can put aside their hate for hunting and see how impactful a state investment could be for MSAH.”

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

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.

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