May 19, 2014 — Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan — Sportsmen on the St. Marys River fish for walleye, they fish for steelhead and muskie, but for many of them, this June may be the first time they’ve fished for hunger.
On Saturday, June 14, at Aune Osborn Park in Sault Ste. Marie, Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank is hosting Fishing for Hunger, a tournament to support hunger relief in the eastern Upper Peninsula.
The first objective is to raise money for the Food Bank. But organizers also hope to introduce the organization to those who didn’t know about it before.
Even after a record-breaking year of food distribution, staff member and lifelong fisherman James Fitz says the organization still flies under the radar.
“A lot of people don’t realize where the food comes from,” he said. “What better way to raise money for the Food Bank than to have a friendly little tournament, a great cookout and have a great time doing it?”
The Food Bank’s friendly little tournament will include a cash prize for first, second and third place, along with prizes of fishing gear for fourth and fifth place, which will be donated by local businesses including Riverview Taxidermy and Wild Bill’s Bait Shop.
Participants will fish the St. Marys River from Sault Ste. Marie down to Raber Bay. The river has been called one of Michigan’s top fishing destinations, offering “a wide variety of fishing habitats, ranging from deep channels and fast rapids to wide-open bays and lakes” — not the easiest treasure chest to unlock, but yielding big catches for the experienced and the lucky.
“It’s a challenging par four,” Fitz said.
The entry fee is $100 for up to four fisherman per boat. The tournament runs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will conclude with a cookout and weigh-in from 3-5 p.m. All participants will receive t-shirts.
Register online at feedwm.org/fishing-for-hunger.
Donations may also be mailed to PO Box 1187, Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783, or delivered to 815 Meridian Street, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783.