Veterans across the country will get a gift, thanks, in part, to deer hunters in the Ozarks.

The program, through the Elks Association, provides gloves, made from deer hides, to disabled veterans.

Nathan Brooks is a Navy veteran who lives in Taney County. He now volunteers his time collecting and treating hundreds of deer hides each year.

Hunters donate the hides. Then, Brooks helps turn them into gloves that help our nation's heroes. The gloves are soft and padded, designed especially for disabled veterans.

"They can get around with their wheelchairs," Brooks said. "Extra padding right through there."

The Missouri Elks Association has collected more deer hides than any other state in the nation for the last several years. Last year, they collected more than 9,600 hides.

The hides are taken from collection sites like Brooks' for cleaning and treatment. They're then made into gloves.

"They'll soak these hides then run them through a machine," Brooks said.

It's a nationwide effort that starts with hunters, like those here in the Ozarks.

"People that are not veterans that are hunters who are willing to help our veterans, that means a lot," Brooks said.

The program depends on men like Brooks who still do what they can to serve others who served us.

"The Elks have a saying that as long as there are veterans, they'll not be forgotten," Brooks said. "This is one way of doing that."

If you'd like to donate a deer hide to the program, you can contact an Elks Lodge near you. Also, the gloves are for sale. You can buy a pair for $25 through your local lodge.