Sportsman group continues to help feed the hungry

Yes, this is an outdoors column, but please pardon me while I revel in my alma mater's victory over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. No, the slugfest wasn't a thing of beauty, but I'll take the last-second blocked field goal and the win that came with it.

Because this is the college bowl season, it also means people are in the mood for giving. Though its annual event is nearly a month away, members of the Safari Club International will continue the giving when the organization's 36th annual Hunters Convention gets under way Jan. 22 in Reno. That evening, an estimated 900 homeless and otherwise troubled people from the Reno area will have the opportunity to enjoy a venison feast thanks to more than 400 pounds of meat donated by hunters from the SCI's Desert Chapter in Las Vegas.

Game meat donations are handled through the Safari Club International Foundation's Sportsmen Against Hunger program. Each year, nearly 250 million meals are served through this program.

The Salvation Army in Reno is the SCI's on-the-ground partner and is overseeing arrangements for the venison feast, which will be at Reno Events Center. Major Doug Williams acknowledged the Salvation Army's appreciation for the venison donation and the protein it would provide to those who take advantage of the meal, which chefs from the Eldorado Hotel will prepare and country singer Irlene Mandrell, SCI volunteers and representatives and the Salvation Army will serve.

Donations of game meat for the SAH program are accepted and processed at more than 1,300 meat processors and hunger relief organizations across the country. If you are interested in donating game meat in the future, go to the Safari Club Foundation Web site (www. safariclubfoundation.org) on the Humanitarian Projects & Services page. Here in Southern Nevada, John Mull's Meats and Larry's Great Western Meats are included in the database. Both companies will accept your donations, but don't expect to get the processing for free, because they still need to pay the bills. The Las Vegas Rescue Mission on West Bonanza Road will accept donated game meat, but it must be frozen and in clearly marked packages weighing between 1 pound and 5 pounds.

Because of its participation in the SAH and other Safari Club programs, the Desert Las Vegas chapter recently was selected as winner of the 2007 Safari Club International Chapter of the Year Award (based on chapter size). The chapter was praised for showing "excellence and ambition in the performance of the mission and programs of SCI."

The trophy will be presented during the convention in Reno when the venison feast kicks off the event. The convention will be Jan. 23 to 26 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center and is expected to draw more than 25,000 participants and 1,100 exhibitors. Scheduled activities include a hunting auction as well as seminars on a variety of topics that include float hunting in Alaska, handgun hunting in North America and a seminar for first-time Africa hunters.

Go to www.showsci.com for more convention details.

The Desert chapter is holding its annual banquet Jan. 19 at the Rio. You can purchase tickets at Spurlock's Gun Shop in Henderson (564-5668) or by calling Chris at Heads Up Wildlife Design (873-1094) or Dave Small at 334-3860.

Doug Nielsen is an award-winning freelance writer, and a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column is published Thursday. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.