By SCOTT D. JOHNSTON
For the third consecutive year, the Ocean Shores Food Bank hosted a sold-out fund-raising evening at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. The Saturday event included dinner, silent and live auctions, and music and dancing with Raucous, a high energy five-piece band from Seattle.
The main room was set up to seat 400 for the catered dinner, plus a stage, dance floor and bar, and the lobby was filled with over 100 silent auction items. More than two weeks out, all but a handful of the tickets had already been sold, according to Kathy Harris, who served as event chairperson for the Food Bank.
The event is the only organized, yearly fund raiser for one of the North Coast’s most active non-profits. In 2017, the group’s 60+ volunteers donated more than 11,000 hours while helping over 14,000 individuals receive a total of 97 tons of food, through twice-monthly regular food distribution days, special holiday distributions and emergency food availability.
Sandra Harley, the Food Bank’s executive director, told the crowd, “We appreciate your being here tonight at this wonderful event and sharing our vision and mission: ‘So no one in our community goes hungry.’”
She asked those who enjoyed the flank steak dinner served by the Convention Center’s chef and catering crew, “Have you ever worried about running out of food” or “skipped meals or been hungry because there was no food?” Harley admitted, “it’s difficult for me to imagine what that must feel like. Yet these are the challenges that many of our friends and neighbors face every day.” She thanked the attendees, saying, “Make no mistake, every one of you sitting in this audience tonight is a friend as well as a hero – you are making a difference in someone’s life.”
The Ocean Shores Pirates were on hand to aid the event, as Eric “Fox” Bjella served as emcee and auctioneer and his fellow swashbucklers helped display items and handle the live bidding.
Bookending the live auction and bringing folks onto the dance floor was Raucous, a group of polished players that covers almost everything from AC/DC to ZZ Top.
