The South Carolina Elks Association”s Deer Hide committee is a project of the Elks Veterans Service Commission. The following os from the Elks.org website:

For nearly 60 years, Elks have collected hides of deer, caribou, antelope, and, yes, elk. Hides are salted, stacked, shrink-wrapped and shipped to a Utah tannery for processing. Then, fingerless wheelchair gloves, along with finished leather for use in crafts programs, are sent to veterans” medical facilities across the country.

It”s a way to remember veterans” sacrifices, to assist them in occupational therapy and to help them get on with everyday life, Charles Cutshaw, national chairman of the Elks” program, told the Associated Press…

in 2006, Elks distributed about 2,400 pairs of gloves, including many to wheelchair athletes. Elks are also the only source of leather for the crafting of wallets, belts and clothing in the VA”s occupational therapy program-“something to occupy their minds and their muscles,” adds Cutshaw.

Hunters provide the hides of their deer to local Deer Hide Committee members. Below is a link our members made to demonstrate the salting process of the hides before hunters deliver them to their local lodge.