Steamboat Springs — Pheasant, moose, caribou and other wild game will grace the menu Saturday at a benefit dinner being held for two Routt County children.

The Benefit Wild Game Dinner for Molly Look and Tyler Johnson is at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Steamboat Springs Community Center. Coordinator Carl Houck said the event grew out of his prayer group at Holy Name Catholic Church, which includes hunters and anglers with meat to spare.

“We all of a sudden had the makings of a really nice dinner,” Houck said. “All of a sudden, they wanted to do a benefit for someone.”

In choosing a cause for a benefit dinner, Houck said helping pay the medical costs for Tyler Johnson and Molly Look eventually gravitated to the top of the list.

Tyler, of Steamboat Springs, lost his feet and parts of some fingers from an illness this summer. He was flown to Denver in June and spent five weeks in the hospital, undergoing several surgeries. Doctors think the illness was a form of meningococcal septicemia.

Tyler has prosthetics now and is in fifth grade at Soda Creek Elementary School. He’s wrestling, doing gymnastics and going to physical therapy each week, his mother, Shara Johnson, said last month.

On the morning of Jan. 17, 2007, Molly, who was 3 at the time, ventured out to the family’s barn to see her bunny, Boy. She then decided to walk to her grandma’s house, though the temperature that morning was as low as negative 27 degrees.

Molly, of North Routt, walked about half a mile and was sitting in a snowbank, wearing only a thermal shirt, when she was found by passing motorist Kathleen Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons then rushed Molly to the hospital. She was hypothermic and had severe frostbite.

Molly lost several fingers and toes as a result of the exposure.

Saturday’s dinner will be the most recent of several benefits, auctions and other fund-raisers to help the Look and Johnson families cover significant medical costs.

“These two kids, they don’t go to our church, but it’s just a good, charitable thing to do,” said Houck, who said other local churches and businesses are contributing to the effort. “Both families are suffering quite a bit. : People in town know these two kids, and they know the situations they’re facing.”

Houck said a one-day liquor license has been obtained for the benefit dinner and that there will be door prizes. A plate costs $50, and the Community Center can seat as many as 175 people.

“It’s just going to be a communitywide effort, and we encourage the visitors to come out,” Houck said. “It will be a fun time. It will be an enjoyable time. We hope the community will support it.”

Houck said he hopes at least 100 people attend. Only 30 tickets have been sold so far.

“It would be nice if we could sell out, but we’re not there yet,” said Houck, who said early ticket purchases are helpful to planning efforts. “It’s typical Steamboat. Everybody waits until the last minute.”

To make reservations or contributions, call Carol Ward at Holy Name Catholic Church at 879-0671.

– To reach Brandon Gee, call 871-4210

or e-mail bgee@steamboatpilot.com