Forest to Table, we plan to make it happen.

Venison Provisions is an up and coming nonprofit being built in Shorter, Alabama. Our mission will be to accept and help transport all unwanted harvested deer in Alabama and donate the processed meat to families needing help putting healthy, delicious protein on their table.

To introduce myself, I am Shana Howard, the owner of Shana's Place, a small business in Shorter Alabama. Here on this property where I grew up is Shana’s Place in the front, Venison Provisions behind that, and my li’l tiny house is down the hill on the back of the property. I was a vet tech for ten years, as a young adult, and did side gigs such as painting houses, greenhouse grower, electrical work, housewife, cocktail waitressing, landscaping, gravel pit office management, poultry farming, and selling BBQ sandwiches. I have lived in times of plenty, and I’ve had to hustle to make ends meet.

I opened up a little shop on my Dad’s property in 2003, processing 212 deer that first year so long ago. In 2017, Shana’s Place added a prime meat market and deli to our repertoire, peddling at local farmers markets, allowing us to retain experienced employees for each following deer season. We have done thousands of deer in a single season, but now focus more on quality and service by requiring memberships to accept whole fresh animals. A few years into deer processing, realizing just how many deer folks needed to get rid of, I participated in a donation program here in Alabama. There are a few deer donation programs available, all of which have their own missing link here or there; the most common deal breaker is that the processors go in the hole to process donated deer. There is not enough government funding to support the processing of unwanted harvested deer. There are only 10 processors in this state that participate in a donation program, all together processing less than 1,000 unwanted deer per year. Venison Provisions has a full service fix for this!!

In speaking with my clients (hunters) this summer to renew their deer processing memberships, I have realized a much larger need for a place to dispose of their excess harvests. There are so, so many deer killed each year for the purpose of herd management that there is not always enough time or a place that can take them. Here in Alabama, Plantations, Preserves, Farms, Clubs, Lodges and Breeders all have to harvest thousands of deer each season to maintain health in their herd. Herd management is not optional; Some of these clients have voiced their needs to donate 50-100 deer per location, per season. If you are a farm with excessive deer harvests, please contact us about picking up deer from your cooler! Many individuals also enjoy deer hunting more than they enjoy eating venison, so they also need a place that can accept their harvests. Donating deer to supply meat for less fortunate families is very rewarding, and an extremely cost effective healthy protein to provide.

God put it on my heart that I do something about these two problems in Alabama; with a little work they can fix each other! I mean, it is a talent He has blessed me with, shouldn’t I use it to help and grow His People? Through much prayer and scheming, Venison Provisions came about. The plan for this full service ministry will be to provide a connect-the-dots kind of service from the hunter/farm all the way to the families who need a little help. Venison Provisions will accept donated deer dropped off at Shana’s place, during their normal business hours. We will offer pickup from your walk in cooler & give a tax deductible receipt, we will clean and quarter the deer, and hold them in the freezer until they have a spot on the counter at Shana's Place, who will process the deer for a deeply discounted price. We will be making lean venison burger, cubed steak and backstrap steaks, and then deliver the meat to families and ministries here in Alabama. Venison Provisions will not require any work or money of the hunter, just ask that the animal is whole and in good condition. We are hoping to fund this mission through kind and generous donations.

Getting a food bank to pick up meat in a timely manner has been a problem for donating processors for many years. As Shana’s Place finishes processing these deer, Venison Provisions will be delivering our meat all over the state. We have trucks available to haul the deer in and the meat out, and some number of people have volunteered their time to do the transporting from coolers all over Alabama to our landing pad here in Shorter. We will provide for many smaller nonprofits like Hosanna Home & His House, Esperanza House, Adullam House, and many church pantries, all of which require their recipients to complete a thorough vetting process. Please feel free to contact us to let us know if your mission is in need of meat, we need more takers! We will also be sharing recipes for “Venison on a Dime” to help recipients learn how to cook this pure & healthy meat. Check out that tab up top and submit your favorite budget friendly venison recipes to help.

God willing, my personal goal for this first year is 2,000 deer not wasted, 70,000 pounds of meat processed, a quarter million tummies full of healthy protein!