Community Meals Ministries hosts benefit gala as service numbers continue to climb
Community Meals Ministries aimed to raise $60,000 Saturday night, April 25, at its annual gala art show and sale at St. Michael Social Hall in Butler.
The goal sounds ambitious, but it may only cover five to six community meals. President of the initiative, Ray Christy, said his home church, First United Methodist, has already spent $11,000 on meals in the first quarter of the year. Multiplying that by the five churches that host a weekly meal, the churches spent around $55,000 feeding the community in the first quarter of the year.
“That’s what Community Meals’ sole purpose is — awareness, to raise funds and distribute back to the five churches,” Christy said.
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church hit a record Thursday night with 429 meals distributed in one hour. Christy’s church fed 398 people the following night. He said the numbers will continue to climb.
“You can see the writing on the wall, Christy said.
“People know that, so they bring me eggplant no one else wants to clean and cut. I’ll clean it and cut it,” he added.
Preparing food may be one thing, but there was nothing on the menu for the gala that guests didn’t want to eat. A $30 ticket got guests a menu of shrimp pot stickers, stuffed mushrooms, chipotle chicken, egg rolls, pretzel bites, mini quiche, chips and salsa, deviled eggs, a cheese spread and more. Plus, guests had access to raffles, art, prizes and live music.
Christy said even raffle baskets with values above $300 were donated to raise money for the ministry.
In addition to its own raffle, Community Meals Ministries invited Butler-based book club Read Between the Wines to conduct its own. For $10, guests chose a balloon and popped it. Inside was an “S,“ “M“ or “L,“ which allowed guests to choose from one of three prize tables, according to book club representatives Jen Hundertmark and Lisa Brown.
The book club had prizes from local organizations and establishments such as Butler Downtown, Butler County Symphony Orchestra, The Penn Theater, Cummings Candy & Coffee and Family Bowlaway Fun Center.
Community Meals Ministries would also receive 30% of profits from vendors who sold their merchandise at the gala. Kittanning-based fine arts photographer Donna Weckerly, who has had her works exhibited at the Butler Arts Center and Aluminum City Arts in New Kensington among other regional venues, said she was the first photographer to be invited to show her work at the gala.
“It’s nice to meet new people,” she said.
Then on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m., the community is invited back to the social hall for an art show and bake sale, from which proceeds go to the ministry.
Christy said many people don’t realize how many out-of-town employees and immigrants come to work in Butler.
“They send every dime they can to support their family, because they only get a window of five-six months to make all their money for the year,” he said.
Others who aren’t able to navigate the cold in the winter come out more during the summer, Christy said. He expects Community Meals Ministries to see 500 meals distributed in one night in the summer.
