Gun show donates $11K to non-profits

PALMER — The Lions 48th annual Gun Show raffle will feed a lot of hungry Valley residents this year.

That’s because two of the beneficiaries of this year’s raffle are local food pantries, which each received a hefty check from the Palmer Lions for a slice of a more than $13,000 raffle pie.

Proceeds — minus costs — this year were divided between Mat-Su Special Santa, Palmer Food Bank, and the Salvation Army food bank, with each receiving $3,720 at the Lions Club meeting March 17 at the Moose Lodge in Palmer.

Lion Bob Morigeau co-chaired this year’s event with Monty Hotchkiss. He said the donation is a significant increase over past years.

“It just keeps growing,” Morigeau said.

He was quick to credit Lions David and Andrea Fuller as the driving force behind the gun raffle and its ever-increasing ticket sales. This year’s raffle included three rifles and 15 other prizes.

Morigeau said many Lions sold tickets, but the Fullers devoted many weekends to selling tickets at the Four Corners Three Bears and Sportsman’s Warehouse in Wasilla.

“Every year he just keeps pushing,” Morigeau said. “Last year we set a record, and this year we broke that.”

The gun show this year had 276 vendors at Raven Hall, plus another 30 craft tables set up for vendors at Hoskins Hall at the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

Lion Everett Burke managed table registrations and did an excellent job, Morigeau said. Burke succeeds Lion Mary Omer who managed vendor registration for six years.

The all-volunteer effort takes months to put together, with planning for the show beginning in the summer and applications for tables going out in the mail between Christmas and New Year’s.

“Everything we do goes back to helping people in one shape or form,” he said

Contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.