By Sherris Moreira-Byers
I had the privilege of attending the 25th anniversary celebration of Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County last Thursday. It was very moving as people of like minds from different walks of life shared their common belief that helping the hungry in our community is a priority.
Views & Voices magazine shares that belief, especially in light of these hard economic times. Our decision to create a compilation cookbook of the past three years of Views & Voices recipes was based on the realization that we, too, could help those in need.
During the banquet, Views & Voices kicked off the sale of that cookbook and announced our plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from each sale to the food warehouse.
I took 30 books with me. I sold out of them before the banquet was over and had people sign up for almost 20 more. I was moved to tears as people kept throwing in extra money, which we in turn gave to the food warehouse, plus the portion of the proceeds. Before the night was over, I was able to give more than $100 to food warehouse Executive Director Lori Weston.
At Women’s Expo 2008 today, we will have almost 200 cookbooks available for sale for $9 at the Views & Voices table. We will also have representatives from the food warehouse at each registration table accepting canned goods. When you donate a canned good, the $2 entry fee will be discounted to $1.
Last year, our wonderful visitors brought more than $2,000 worth of canned goods to the event. With the challenging economy and rising utility costs, a simple canned good can help those in need in your county, community, even your neighborhood.
Views & Voices invites you to visit the Women’s Expo 2008 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Hickory VFW in Hermitage.
This year the excitement includes the opportunity for visitors to win a $1,600 four-day trip for two to Nashville to celebrate Christmas at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, sponsored by Anderson Coach & Travel, Greenville. The winner (and a guest) will enjoy the Louise Mandrell Christmas Dinner Party, a visit to the Grand Ole Opry and dining entertainment aboard the General Jackson Showboat, among other activities.
Other prizes include six $50 gas cards provided by Rose Allison with Silpada Designs, state Rep. Michele Brooks, Janeco’s Sensible Solutions of Sharon, Cox Automotive of Hadley, Magnotto’s Shop ‘n Save of Hermitage and AWARE.
Visitors must sign up at the Views & Voices table to register to win those prizes. Each of our 80 vendors is also giving away prizes.
New this year is a special “Party Zone for Kids” room, since many schools will be closed because of the Columbus Day holiday. Children’s activities include face painting, balloon animals, spin art and the chance to win a $200 party basket at Party Zone for Kids in Sharpsville. Children must be supervised by parents.
We’ve got the tables set, the giveaways ready, the vendors waiting. Now all we need is you!
Cookbooks will also be available for sale at the Views & Voices department at The Herald in Sharon on Wednesday.
Info: 724-981-6100
