Hunters Harvest helps pantries fill shelves
Diane SpeerArticle Photos
The hub of activity centered around the loading dock at Great North Foods in Alpena was hard to miss late Friday morning. Trucks, trailers and forklifts carrying pallets of canned goods and potatoes backed in and out of the dock area in a steady stream.
All of the food being loaded into vehicles was destined for food pantries in four counties of Northeast Michigan, including Alpena, Alcona, Presque Isle and Montmorency. In total, $16,500 worth of food products were distributed to 17 different food pantries that regularly help to feed the less fortunate in the region.
None of this would have happened without the generosity of Hunters Harvest for Charity, a group of local sportsmen whose wild game dinner held annually in January raises thousands of dollars for the express purpose of providing funds and food to many non-profit groups around the area.
"We couldn't do this without the community's help, without them participating in our fundraiser," said Gary Pikula, who was one of the founding members of Hunters Harvest and currently serves as its treasurer.
Though Hunters Harvest has been around for many years, Pikula estimates the group has been doing the food giveaway for only the last eight years.
"The first year we did it there were eight food pantries. Now it's up to 17," he said. "We get a lot of personal satisfaction from being involved in this."
Among the food pantries represented Friday at the Great North Foods distribution site was St. Vincent de Paul in Alpena.
"It's just an incredible program that has been very helpful in time of need," said Sheri Allen, manager of the St. Vincent de Paul Store. "We have lots and lots of people who really need help this time of year."
Besides pallets of canned goods, Allen's organization also received 50 10-pound bags of potatoes that were among 920 bags in total donated to the cause by Stema Farms in Posen. Allen estimated that with what her organization received from Hunters Harvest, it will now be able to help between 200 to 300 people.
The Alcona Food Pantry in Harrisville was another of the grateful recipients.
"This will help a great deal," said Alcona Food Pantry Coordinator Shelly Dunn.
She said that her organization usually gives away boxes of food once a month to 70-80 families as well as helps 30 other homebound seniors who can't get out to grocery shop.
"We've seen an increase in the need for food these last three years," Dunn said. "I've watched this program keep expanding and growing. It's a joy to share and give."
Approximately 400 people attended this year's annual wild game dinner. The event is usually a sell-out.
According to Pikula, the generosity of last year's dinner attendees enabled Hunters Harvest to give more than $45,000 back to the community in 2009 through both monetary donations and food.
