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Another successful year for the Petoskey Rotary Sunrise Venison for Manna Project. Each year the club encourages area hunters to donate venison to the local Manna Food Project, which provides food to 37 area food agencies in Emmet, Charlevoix and Antrim Counties, Michigan, USA.
The goal was to gather 2,000 lbs., and when the dust settled, over 2,400 lbs. of venison was donated. A critical part of the project are four local processors; Walloon Lake General Store, Jurek’s Meat Market, Carp Lake General Store and Krueger’s Meat Market. They are the focal point and their staff’s play an important role in helping promote the program to hunters as they bring their deer in for processing.
The club holds an annual Venison Dinner at the Bay View Country Club to kick off the program. In addition, advertising is placed in the Petoskey News Review, posters and flyers are distributed and club members help spread the word.
Jays Sporting Goods supports the project by donating a $500 gift certificate to the lucky hunter selected. Each hunter gets one chance at the drawing for each pound donated. Our 2017 winner is Michael Smith, Grand Blanc, MI. Michael donated an entire deer.
This year we had 283 different hunters donate from youth to seniors. 79 hunters donated more than one pound and 21 “whole deer” were donated. Of special note is Art Tebo from Walloon Lake. Art and his hunting camp donated 11 whole deer to the program.
New this year was the addition of the annual youth hunt weekend. As a result, 21 youth hunters donated 43 lbs. of venison to the program.
“This is such an outstanding club project, states club President Dave Meyer. It’s fun, it’s worthwhile and hunters are a very generous group. Our club loves this project and the families that receive the venison are very appreciative.”
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