Sportsmen Against Hunger a program run by the Safari Club International Foundation is feeding over 1500 people in Reno, Nevada tonight and this event is just one of many programs by this organization. I had the opportunity to attend the event tonight and get to learn a bit more about Sportsman Against Hunger.
Tonight over 150 volunteers worked throughout the day and into the evening to prepare over 800 Lbs of elk meat into a wonderful meatloaf dinner for hungry Reno families and residents. With wonderful support from Eldorado Hotel Executive Chef Troy Cannan and his staff , Other sponsors assisting The Salvation Army include the RSCVA, C & M Food Distributing, Model Dairy, SportService, Truckee Sourdough Company, Harrah’s Reno and SYSCO. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Department provided security and the event was extremely well run.
Volunteers included the High Sierra Chefs Association, Wells Fargo, Kiwanis Sunrisers Club, Boy Scout Troop 152, Girl Scout Troop 72, McQueen High School football players, Job Corps students and members of The Salvation Army Advisory Board as well as SCI members and staff.
Sportsman Against Hunger volunteers put on events like this around the country with over 200 chapters spread across the country these events bring much needed dinners to hungry folks around the country. Sportsman Against Hungry has been working on a new initiative donating meat grinders to Salvation Army locations and soup kitchens around the country to help them take donations of wild game and process them for folks in need. Annual donations of wild game meat and fish to those in need have increased over the last several years and tens of millions of meals have been served in local soup kitchens, food banks and charitable organizations. In 2006, 314,275 pounds of wild game meat were donated to relief organizations; in 2007, the figure had jumped to 377,072 lbs., which is the equivalent of 1,508,288 meals. In the 2008 season, Sportsman Against Hungry set a new record with 412,154 lbs. That’s more than 206 tons and figures from 2009 are still being calculated but expectations are well over 400,000 lbs.
SCI also had the Sensory Safari Exposition at this event and many of the families and residents from the area had an opportunity to walk through this roving Tractor Trailor of wild game mounts where everyone is encouraged to touch the trophies and mounts of wild animals from all around the world. They can pick up horns, touch the fur of these wild animals and get to see many different species.
