Runningen family donates $1,374 to Fergus Falls veterans recreation fund

A haul of donated deer hides from the 2023 hunting season turned into a $1,374 gift for veterans recreation at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Fergus Falls, extending a family effort that has raised nearly $4,500 over four years.

Larry Runningen has led the “Hides for Veterans” campaign since it began in 2020, using proceeds from deer hides collected across Grant and Otter Tail counties to support the Veterans Recreation Fund at the Fergus Falls home. The money helps keep bingo and other activities going for veterans living there, a cause tied to the memory of Ruben L. Runningen.

Ruben L. Runningen lived at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Fergus Falls from 2017 until his death in April 2019. His family said the campaign grew from that experience and from the recreation he enjoyed there, including bingo and other programming that gave daily life more structure and connection.

This year’s check was presented on March 27, 2024, by Ruben’s great-granddaughter, Nola Glocke, and grandson-in-law, Erick Blaisdell. Local hunters and businesses helped fill collection boxes placed at convenience stores in Grant and Otter Tail counties, while Lake Cabin Meat and Deli Co. in Fergus Falls and Johnson’s Market in Flom also contributed hides.

Runningen Furs, the family’s fifth-generation business, has been operating for more than 125 years, carrying a hunting and fur-trade tradition into the campaign. Larry Runningen said the family plans to keep the effort going in future deer hunting seasons, keeping the link between a long-standing local business and the veterans who live at the Fergus Falls home.