Staff Report
Supporters of Rowan Helping Ministries raised more than $100,550 for the agency at its second Pass the Plate auction fundraiser.
And officials for the nonprofit agency that operates a number of programs for needy in the county hope people will still consider giving to the campaign.
“A thanks to those who sponsored the event and hosts of the auctioned items as well as all of those who attended the event,” said Wink Cline, chairman of the Rowan Helping Ministries board.
Now an annual event, Pass the Plate is the agency’s largest fundraiser. It’s built around hosts who volunteer to provide any number of activities ó everything from a Cheeseburger in Paradise get-together to a day spent watching the Carolina Panthers.
Those attending the evening gala then bid for the right to receive the promised benefit.
Hosts offered 15 events for auction, the minimum bid for any being $2,000.
Silent auctions for dinners by one of four area chefs were also held. Others donated calendar bids where they agreed to pay to feed the homeless at Rowan Helping Ministries on a particular day.
And Cline wants to remind people that plenty of sponsorships remain available on Rowan Helping Ministries’ calendar.
The sponsorships ó which can be made in honor or memory of a person ó vary from $50 for breakfast, $250 for lunch, $100 for dinner or $400 to sponsor an entire day.
The sponsorships are available online at www.rowanhelpingministries.org.
Dianne Scott, executive director of Rowan Helping Ministries, said that the meal and day sponsorships provide a steady source of support for the agency throughout the year.
With expenses going up for everyone, Scott said her agency has spent an average of $36,500 a week for the past 10 months providing food, shelter, clothing and financial assistance to nearly 400 men, women and children, Scott said.
Of that weekly total, $15,500 goes out in financial assistance vouchers, Scott added. Eighty-nine to 90 percent of all funds the agency receives goes into program benefits, rather than overhead expenses, Scott said.
For more information about the programs, go to the agency’s Web site or call 704-637-6838.