Wreath Auction gives back to community

The Whitehall Christmas Stroll is known as an annual family friendly event. It also highlights the giving nature of the community with the annual Whitehall Saddle Club Wreath Auction.

Now in it's 20th year, the event serves as not only a fundraiser for the Whitehall Food Pantry, but also raises thousands of dollars for numerous local non-profit organizations.

The 2018 event will start with the silent auction from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Whitehall Community Center. The Live Auction will take place at the Mint Bar at 7 p.m.

The Whitehall Saddle Club uses the popular event as a way to give back to the community for all their help and support throughout the year.

Saddle Club member Lonna Johnson added the club hosts the event as a community service to help the food pantry and local non-profit organizations.

Local residents make all the wreaths, and 100 percent of the money each wreath makes in the auction is distributed to local non-profits as earmarked by the maker.

If a wreath designated for Liberty Place sells for $20, then Liberty Place will get $20.

In 2015, the auction raised over $10,000 that benefited local organizations such as 4 Paws Animal Rescue, Jefferson Valley Hospice, Liberty Place, Pool Pals Inc., Rock Mountain Hospice, Rocky Mountain Rascals 4-H Club, Star Youth Fund, Super Stars 4-H Club, Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department, Whitehall Garden Club, Whitehall Girls Scouts, Whitehall Little Guy Wrestling, the Whitehall High School Senior Class, Whitehall Rotary Club and many more.

Johnson said the only way the Saddle Club profits from the event is if a wreath maker designates them as the non-profit to receive the money earned.

Wreaths can be dropped off December 7 at the Community Center between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The wreaths will be displayed December 8 throughout the Christmas Stroll. The community will vote on wreaths via donations of nonperishable food items (one can equals one vote) or by buying tickets at the wreath viewing area for $1 apiece of six for $5.

Johnson said all money and food collected would be donated to the Whitehall Food Pantry.

As a result of the event, each year several pickup trucks of food are dropped off at the Whitehall Food Pantry just in time for the Holidays.

A ticket will be given for each food item donated, and tickets will be collected at each of the wreaths. The top-three wreaths with the highest number of tickets, or votes, will receive a prize from the Whitehall Saddle Club.

The auction will have the added benefit of a silent auction, which will work as follows: All wreath voters will have the option of placing a silent auction bid. At the end of the day on Dec. 8 (5 p.m.) the "votes" (canned food donations) will be tallied. The top 40 wreaths will be set aside for the live auction. If any of the top 40 wreaths have silent auction bids, then the live auction will start at that bid amount.

All other wreaths (assuming there are more than 40 wreaths) will be sold to the highest silent bid determined at the 5 p.m. vote counting. Winners of the silent auction bids will then be able to pick up their wreath(s) at the Community Center at 5:30 p.m.

So, get working on those wreaths and watch for more information on the wreath auction and the Christmas Stroll. For more information, call Johnson at 287-3037 or Bridget Morse at 490-0645.