Local church raises $3,200 for Swannanoa Valley charities
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley auction benefits Bounty & Soul and Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corp.
Larry Pearlman
Guest contributor
The Valley Echo
December 28, 2020
Larry Pearlman, of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley, presents a check to Sheila Showers of the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Corp. UUCSV raised $3,200 for Bounty & Soul and the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corp. Bounty & Soul Director of Community Engagement Karla Gardner, left, received the funds on behalf of the nonprofit organization. Photo courtesy of Bounty & Soul
To say that 2020 was a year like no other would be an understatement. Yet, in the midst of great health and economic hardships, the light shines even brighter from such exemplary organizations as Bounty & Soul and the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Corporation.
Recognizing the value of both organizations to this community and the hardships they were experiencing, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley (UUCSV) dedicated part of the proceeds from their 2nd Annual Auction Fund Raiser to help out. Members of the UU congregation serve as volunteers for both organizations, but wanted to do more.
To maximize safety for their staff and volunteers, Bounty & Soul had to radically revamp their entire food distribution operation, moving it outside, wearing masks and sanitizer and having a drive-through operation limiting exposure. Even so, they distributed 35,000 pounds of food to over 2,800 residents of the Swannanoa Valley at no cost — a critical service made all the more so in this historic year. Amazingly, this was about a 200% increase over 2019.
The Swannanoa Valley MLK organization, promoting Dr. King’s emphasis on quality education for all, offers scholarships to graduating high school seniors in the Swannanoa Valley who are planning to enroll on a full-time basis in a two-year or four-year college program. The fund also makes renewal scholarships available to those students in good academic standing. They had to forego their largest fundraising event this year due to COVID-19.
The small business owners of Black Mountain deserve recognition for stepping up to support the UUCSV auction this year, even during this time of economic crisis. These donations, plus a tremendous response from the UUCSV congregation, enabled this year’s auction to raise enough money to meet the goals of providing funds for the maintenance of church grounds and supporting the playground fund, while also supporting two very worthwhile local charities.
Checks for $1,600 each were presented to Bounty & Soul representative Karla Gardner and Sheila Showers, president of the board for The Swannanoa Valley Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corp.
Gardner and Showers expressed appreciation.
“Not only are they (UUCSV) great stewards of service to others, their commitment to raising essential funds for area nonprofits during a critical time where we have all experienced unprecedented growth during the pandemic is truly admirable,” Gardner said. “This is a classic example of community helping community, especially in a time of great need.”