Hunters Harvest for Charity raises $93,000 for local organizations
ALPENA, Mich. — Hunters Harvest for Charity has held their annual dinner for 40 years, and each year it gets bigger and bigger. Along with a smorgasbord of wild game including bear, elk, rabbit and venison, they also held raffles and auctions where people could win some expensive prizes.
This “Men’s Night Out” dinner was started by Col. John S. Boyk and he helped grow it into what it is today. He passed away in 2007 but his brother Mark took over as president of Hunters Harvest for Charity. “I think he’s looking down on us and saying ‘good job guys’ and that’s what we want him to think,” said Boyk. “I had a close relationship with my brother John and it’s just great to know that he’s looking down on us, and I’m sure if we weren’t doing good he’d be up there knocking his fist on the table. That’s the kind of guy he was.”
Boyk added that for about the past 20 years, every dinner has been sold out. This year they seated 550 people in the ballroom of the APlex in Alpena. They also broke their record for the most money raised, totaling $93,000 which will be given to a number of local organizations. “All those guys that come there are from the four-county area, so Alpena, Presque Isle, Alcona and Montmorency,” said Boyk. “It’s only fair to keep that money in these local communities. One of the first things we’ll do this spring is we will replenish 15 to 20 food pantries that are in these counties. We’ll put 30 to 40 percent of our net into that area.”
Other causes they give money to include the Alpena Boys and Girls Club, Baby Pantries, and Vietnam Veterans as well as helping individuals who may be going through hardships in their lives. Boyk said that it’s because of the attendees that they can not only hold this dinner every year, but also help those in need in the area. “It’s easy to make a lot of money when you have 550 guys, you know when you’re sold out. As long as that continues we’ll be successful, and that’s the only reason we’re successful. It’s because of these people that come.”
The dinner grows every year and Boyk hopes that these first 40 years are just the beginning.
