By Chris OrletRecord Managing EditorLocal hunters are coming to the rescue of a Wright City food pantry.For the past few months the Wright City Food Pantry has been out of meat, according to Geri Bernard-Tucker, operational manager of the pantry.The pantry is supported by local donors, including farmers, firefighters, business owners, police, students, and the St. Louis Area Food Bank, which provides a monthly truckload of food.But meat has been in short supply this summer. “That’s put a big hit on our budget,” Tucker said.Now, with deer season under way, deer meat will soon be flowing into the pantry, located in the lower level of Open Hearts United Methodist Church.According to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website, in 2012, 6,244 Missouri hunters donated 317,882 pounds of venison to food pantries.The hunters are taking part in a program called Share the Harvest, a volunteer program whereby hunters donate venison to neighborhood food pantries.Hunters drop off their kill at a participating meat processor who prepares the venison for the food pantries. Across Missouri, processors donate up to three-quarters of their cost and are reimbursed the rest by the Conservation Federation of Missouri, a nonprofit group of Missourians trying to save the state’s natural resources and protect Missouri’s outdoor heritage.“It’s good lean meat,” said Bill Gatewood, a local organizer for Share the Harvest. “It doesn’t have any of those antibiotics and steroids you find in beef.”Local hunters who donate their deer meat to the program are eligible to enter a drawing to win a Ruger American rifle, sponsored by H&H Guns.Local Hunters Share their Harvest with Needy