SCI Foundation and The Salvation Army Team Up for 2009 Sportsmen Against Hunger Feed the Hungry Feast
ucson, AZ – On Tuesday evening, Jan. 20, 2009, some 1,200 homeless, under-housed, and hungry people from the Reno, Nevada area will again enjoy a feast of ground venison and all the accoutrements thanks to over 500 pounds of meat donated by hunters attending Safari Club International’s 37th Annual Hunters’ Convention in Reno. This Sportsmen Against Hunger contribution of wild game meat by SCI’s Northern Nevada Chapter is an example of how the 18-year-old SCI Foundation program shares nature’s bounty worldwide.
The Sportsmen Against Hunger Feed the Hungry Feast, held in conjunction with The Salvation Army, will take place downtown, courtesy of the Reno Events Center on the corner of Fourth and Center Streets, and with the help of sponsors including C & M Food Distributing, Model Dairy, SportServices, Truckee Sour Dough, Carson Valley Inn, SYSCO, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Dept. SCIF’s 45-foot Sensory Safari trailer, which provides a tactile exploration of wildlife, will also be on hand for participants and volunteers to experience, thanks to the generosity of the SCI Redding Regional Chapter in California.
“SCIF is always excited to host the Sportsmen Against Hunger Feed the Hungry Feast in Reno,” said SCI President Merle Shepard. “Hunters have the opportunity to utilize venison, a resource that they have hunted, to provide high protein meals for others.”
Food at the event will be served by over 160 SCI members, local volunteers, and Salvation Army Advisory Board members, and will be prepared by chefs from the El Dorado Hotel Casino under the direction of Executive Chef Troy Cannan.
“SCIF hopes that greater exposure of hunter led programs like the Sportsmen Against Hunger Feed the Hungry Feast at the 2009 Convention will encourage more sportsmen and women to help prevent hunger through a passion they already have, hunting,” added SCI Foundation Humanitarian Services Chairman Gene Rurka.
Through SCIF’s myriad humanitarian programs, SCI chapters and individual members demonstrate the highest levels of philanthropy by directly reaching out to people in need throughout the world. Whether it involves feeding millions of hungry each year, offering free healthcare and supplies to impoverished communities, introducing blind children to the wonders of wildlife, or helping the terminally ill or disabled fulfill lifelong hunting wishes; SCIF is committed to its charitable tenet of giving.
SCI’s 2009 Annual Hunters’ Convention January 21-24th is the ultimate hunters’ market, bringing together more than 25,000 sportsmen and 1,100 exhibitors from around the world in more than 600,000 square-feet of space designed for hunters. Sportsmen and sportswomen interested in learning more and registering for the 2009 Annual Hunters’ Convention may do so at www.showsci.org or by calling 1(888)-SCI-Hunt (742-4868).
