Hunters Stocking Their Freezers and Helping Feed the Hungry

Only two days in to bow season and Standard Provision in Alpena is hard at work processing deer for local hunters.

At the local processor they make everything from burger, to steak, to jerky, to sausage. However, not all of the meat goes to the hunters. Instead, a lot of it is donated to multiple groups including Hunters Harvest for Charity, Sportsmen Against Hunger, and a number of churches in the area.

Usually, they get quite a few donations throughout the season. “Quite regularly,” said Leslie Schook, a processor at Standard Provision. “Especially during rifle season we get quite a few donations. I think last year we had about 15 to 20 deer donated. So, it definitely helps.”

They’re expecting things to really ramp up when we eventually reach rifle season. “Rifle season, we’ll definitely be busy,” said Schook. “Last year we did close to 800 just for rifle so we’ll probably see the same numbers this year.”

The latest numbers available on the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger website show over 107,000 pounds of venison was donated in 2021.