The Quincy Rotary Club’s Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger program has finished the seventh annual season with a record 456 deer turned in by area hunters.
The Rotary Club partners with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the 40 regional businesses to collect deer meat for local food pantries.
“It has a huge impact. There is so much need here. You would be surprised, like I am finding out, that the Salvation Army uses it all year," Rotarian Project Chair Phil Bellis said. "The need is up every year. This is why It is important to get this message out to the hunters that they can enjoy more time in the woods and be able to help other people at the same time.”
Rotary Club raises money annually to help cover the cost of processing the deer meat into two-pound bundles at the Golden Meat Locker in Golden and the Butcher Block in Quincy. The meat is given to the Salvation Army and other community food pantries. This year the amount of deer meat that was processed through the program equals 23,891 pounds of meet. That's enough to make 95,564 quarter pound burgers.
Rotary club members not only raise money for the effort, but assist in marketing the program by putting up posters to bring awareness. This year the club utilized media outlets to get the word out and the response was a record number of deer collected.
Sponsors include: Farm and Home Supply, Gully Transportation, Peters Body Auto Body, Western Catholic Union, GameMasters, Hilbing Autobody, J.H. Concrete, Quincy Industrial Painting Company, Independent Services, Key Outdoor Inc. and Mays, Walden & Anastas P.C. to name a few.
For more information or to make a monetary donation, contact Phil Bellis at 217-222-2405.
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