Elks seek deer hides for veterans program

The Fairfield Elks Lodge will hold its annual Veterans Leather Program collection starting Saturday and lasting until the end of February.

Hunters can drop off deer hides, with the head and leg sections removed, at participating local businesses, and the hides will eventually be given to veterans to help with their recreational and occupational therapy throughout the Veterans Administration health care system.

The Elks collect the hides from drop-off locations and from other lodges and send them to The Nelson Company manufacturing plant in Fairfield, where they are salted, rolled and prepared for shipping. Near the end of February or beginning of March, the hides are sent to a tannery. When the leather is returned, it is given to military veterans who turn it into moccasins, gloves, jackets and other leather goods.

An average of 300-400 hides have been collected in past years, according to Tom Silvers, a member of the Fairfield Elks Lodge and a coordinator of the event.

But, with the deer population numbers being lower, the number of hides that could be donated this year depends a lot on the weather and just how well the hunters faired, said Silvers.

Deer hides can be dropped off at: The Nelson Company; Libertyville Co-op in Libertyville; Batavia Gun Shop in Batavia; the four-way stop at the intersection of Church and Fourth streets in Packwood; Bass Storage Units in Birmingham; Keosauqua Lumberyard in Keosauqua; the old Stockport Lumber location in Stockport; and Kenny?s in Mt. Pleasant.

Bart Richmond, exalted ruler of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Fairfield, said this morning that the drop-off boxes are in place and ready for donations.

Questions about the Veterans Leather Program can be directed to Silvers at 919-0873.