TLCF Fights Hunger, $80 at a Time
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| Twin Lakes Community Foundation board chair Barbara Graham (center) and executive director Janice Fletcher (right) receive $1,000 for a new Stop Hunger Endowment from Vernon Dewey (left) of Mountain Home New Auto Dealers. The endowment will benefit hunger relief organizations like Mountain Home Food Basket, pictured. |
This year Twin Lakes Community Foundation (TLCF) made hunger a community concern. With $6,400 left to raise to reach their goal of $10,000 for a hunger relief endowment, they decided to break the task into bite-size pieces. “We needed 80 people to donate $80. We wanted to break it down into an obtainable goal,” explained Executive Director Janice Fletcher.
Community members responded to the challenge with open hearts and pocketbooks. “Our board members announced our campaign at their civic club meetings. Often, club members would pull out their checkbooks and write an $80 check on the spot,” Fletcher said.
Each month, TLCF used its regular radio segment on local station KTLO to report progress and announce how many more $80 donations were needed to reach the goal. When coupled with stories of local hunger relief programs that will benefit from the new endowment, these on-air appeals helped bring in donations in record time. And in fact, the endowment soon grew to more than $16,000 in contributions, plus an additional $5,000 in matching funds from an anonymous donor – more than twice the original fundraising goal.
“The Twin Lakes area is an incredibly giving community—folks always step up when there is a real need in our area,” said Fletcher.