The Seneca County House of Concern kicked off its “Need to Feed Challenge” fund-raising promotion this evening at the Hotel Gould during Seneca County Business after hours last week.
The event marks the first time the agency has conducted this campaign, which replaces the Feinstein Challenge that has helped raise thousands of dollars for the Seneca Falls Food Pantry.
Several community-minded businesses and organizations have committed to matching donations dollar for dollar. Major sponsors include: Trinity Episcopal Church of Seneca Falls, Generations Bank, Bill Cram Chevrolet, Barrister’s, Bed and Breakfast, Seneca Daily News, Lyons National Bank, Five Star Bank, Seneca Falls Methodist Church, Waterloo Methodist Church, West Fayette Presbyterian Church. Between these groups and anonymous donors, more than $12,000 in matching funds has been made available for this campaign. In addition to cash donations, food donations will be credited toward the matching total at a rate of $1 per item donated.
“When we received word that the Feinstein foundation had opted to discontinue their matching grant campaign to concentrate on other areas, we only panicked for a couple of seconds. Then we realized this could be a great opportunity,” says Board President Stephen Beals.
The HOC has contacted several of its supports to build its own matching grant fund. The result is that the campaign will bring in a much better matching return than the previous campaigns. Last year the entire Feinstein Challenge netted some $12,000 in funding total, and this year, supporters have already pledge to match the $12K amount, which could potentially double the amount taken in to fill the shelves of the Food Pantry. It means every dollar raised during the campaign, which runs through May 15th, will be matched by one of the campaign sponsors.
“There is still time for sponsors to join the campaign,” says HOC Executive Director Rhonda Pollino. “You are only obligated for the amount your specify. If you want to match up to $50, that’s fine. Any sponsors matching $250 or more will be included in all our campaign materials.”
“This community has a 45 year history of supporting the efforts of the House of Concern, and we have tried to give them a solid return on their investment. Our fund-raiser evrnts have really turned into ‘fun-raisers’ and ‘friend-raisers.’ The number of folks actively participating in helping us meet our goals is unprecedented,” said Beals. “For the first time in three years, we are on course to have the organization in the black, which is particularly notable since the needs in this community have exploded during that time.”