Second Harvest Column: Dream Ball Information

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:13:09 -0800

By Lois Rockhill

A black, curly-haired puppy will be featured at the Dream Ball the evening of Feb. 2. The little boy is a miniature golden doodle. He will grow up to weigh about 26 pounds and won’t shed much if at all, making him a great addition to a family of allergy prone humans.

His heritage is golden retriever and miniature poodle. Being a golden doodle brings together the best of both breeds with fewer health concerns according to the Web site. He is being offered at auction by Doodle Darlings by Glory Lane in Pendleton to raise money so human little boys and girls will have enough to eat.

You can see a cute picture at http://www.doodledarlings.com. If that furry little face calls you to the Dream Ball, phone Tiffany Jones at (765) 287-8698 Ext. 100 to make your reservation. If your puppy quota has already been met, you might be interested in some of the other ways to end hunger and feed hope for people in need in east central Indiana.

The live auction with our wonderful showman Jeff Boone will offer a couple of packages including hotel stays, carriage rides and other amenities. Father Bob Williams, pastor at St. Mary’s church in Anderson and a renowned regional chef, is offering a Dinner at the Rectory with food, spirits and entertainment. Tom and Bobbette Snyder are providing a weekend at Lake Tippecanoe and Fadely’s The Jeweler has donated an exquisite necklace.

Over at the silent auction tables, patrons will bid for services, gift certificates and lovely items donated from throughout the regional community. I picked up a man’s stainless bracelet from Standt’s Fine Jewelry, ready perhaps to be engraved for your Valentine.

The Snyders will emcee the evening, sharing food bank facts and encouraging all to participate. There will be plenty of time to enjoy food and friends and to dance to the music of the Endless Summer Band. You will love how Kathy Flemming from Seasons of the Heart highlights the beautiful ballroom with awesome decorations.

We are delighted to have Tom and Bobbette Snyder as our honorary chairs. They are both longtime friends of Second Harvest and of the community. Tom is the new president of Ivy Tech Community College and Bobbette is the executive director of the Leadership Academy of Madison County.

By the end of the evening Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana hopes to raise $30,000. Corporate sponsors are covering expenses allowing all money raised through the auction and reservations to be used for hunger relief.

Saint John’s Health System is the featured sponsor this year. Associate sponsors include Prairie Farms Dairy, Old National Bank, DelTec Information Solutions, Community Hospital Anderson and First Merchants Bank of Central Indiana. Don’t be surprised if you see a couple more added by event day as some approvals are still moving through the corporate channels! Contributing sponsors are Friends of Second Harvest, Larry and Louann Contos, and W.R. Duncan & Son Inc.

Second Harvest Food Bank exists so that the most vulnerable people in this eight-county region will be free from hunger. We do this through advocacy and by soliciting, storing and distributing food designated for families struggling to make ends meet.

Our operational budget is $700,000. This does not include the value of the product we handle. The money allows us to secure and distribute three to four million pounds of donated food a year. Funds come from individuals, businesses, foundations, United Way, United Fund and other grants, as well as support from the pantries and meal programs we supply.

The Dream Ball is a special event and the biggest one we do. Most people attending give to Second Harvest at other times during the year or belong to organizations that do. The event offers the opportunity for friends of the food bank to come together for a wonderful evening, to raise money collectively and to have fun while doing so.

If a fancy, schmancy dance with a got-to-love-it auction sounds good to you, we hope you call to reserve your place at a table. You will join a crowd of nice people and every dollar you spend will provide five pounds of food for a community neighbor in need.

We hope to see you at 6 p.m. Saturday night, Feb. 2, at the historic Paramount Centre Ballroom in downtown Anderson ... ruff, ruff, ruff … is that a golden doodle pup I hear? Is he calling for his new family? Does it sound like the doggie version of your name? Well then, be sure to call Tiffany today!

Lois Rockhill is executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. She can be reached at lrockhill@curehunger.org