By Edna Ethington
H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everyday) held its 29th Annual Dinner Dance Fundraiser at Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel on November 17.
Guests came to enjoy cocktails and appetizers while placing their bids on 50 Silent Auction baskets donated by parishioners, community members and businesses. They also purchased raffle tickets for chances to win prizes, including 3 Big Raffle Prizes of 55” Samsung TV, a $500 Master Card Gift Card, and a $250 cash with a safe. Guests also enjoyed their dinner choices of Knott’s fried chicken, salmon, or vegetable lasagna and pies for dessert. They all “Let the Good Times Roll” as they listened and danced to the music of the Ohio Trio Plus Band.
Everyone seem to really enjoy dancing to the music of the Ohio Trio Plus because the floor was filled with dancers throughout the evening. The women, especially, were like Dancing Queens dancing enthusiastically till the last dance music was played. The Queen of the Dancing Queens was Sr. Kathleen Pritchard of the Presentation Sisters. Sr. Kathleen danced all night with different partners, including Fr. William, H.O.P.E.’s Board President David Gallagher and the Dancing Queens.
H.O.P.E. is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that operates the area Food Bank on the grounds of St. Irenaeus Church in Cypress. It relies on their Annual Dinner Dance Fundraiser to provide additional funds to purchase items that government subsidies and donations do not provide for the 150 to 200 registered families and homeless people who live in the Food Bank area.
According to the fundraiser’s chairman, Bob Sgobba, the Dinner Dance Fundraiser successfully raised approximately $10,000 with the sale of 215 Dinner Dance tickets and the funds raised by the raffles and the Silent Auction of gift baskets. The item that brought the highest bid was Item #50, “An Evening of Culinary Delights,” which was the Dinner for Six hosted by the priests of St. Irenaeus. Fr. Binh Nguyen and Fr. William Goldin came and thanked people for supporting fundraiser and asked people to bid on their Dinner for Six. People responded generously so that the winner of the dinner was Winn Crowley with her bid of $1,600. The proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to purchase more food for the clients of the Food Bank.
Deacon Jerry Pine was the Master of Ceremonies who welcomed everyone and offered the opening prayer. He later saluted and recognized veterans and said prayers before dinner. At the end of the evening, he announced the bid winners of the Silent Auction, the winners of the small raffle prizes, the three Big Raffle prizes, and the winners of the centerpieces on the tables prepared by Classics Flowers.
Deacon Jerry also urged people to patronize the generous benefactors listed in the program booklet and thanked them for their donations for the Silent Auction baskets, the raffles and the centerpieces.
The H.O.P.E. Dinner Dance Committee thanked their members, friends, St. Irenaeus parishioners, community members, and other supporting angels for their generous donations and volunteering of their time to make the event a success.
There were many people who helped to make the H.O.P.E.’s 29th Dinner Dance Fundraiser so special. Dru Moschel and her committee prepared 50 beautiful baskets for the Silent Auction to entice people to place bids on them. Janette and Chuck Shepard prepared the raffle items, and Maria Duhansky oversaw the decorations. Chairperson Bob Sgobba thanked the entire H.O.P.E. Board for all their help.
There is no time for H.O.P.E. members to rest now because they are already preparing for their bi-monthly distribution of food on the first and third Saturdays of each month. They continue to provide help for the homeless, Monday through Friday, at their Christian Service Office at St. Irenaeus Rectory. They are in the process of collecting toys for the children of Food Bank clients and are asking for donations of turkeys for registered families for Christmas.
If anyone would like to donate food items for the H.O.P.E. Food Bank at St. Irenaeus, contact H.O.P.E. members Bob Sgobba at 714-994-0743 or Val Cordova at 714-826-7513.