Feed a family, win a house

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Food Link Inc., a nonprofit based in Annapolis, will be raffling off a Dunkirk house, appraised at more than half a million dollars, with tickets costing $100 each, according to a press release. Up to 7,500 tickets will be issued, with a deadline of Aug. 8.

Food Link is a charity supporting food banks and other ‘‘emergency services” on Maryland’s Western Shore, including a ‘‘baby bank” providing baby food, diapers and other necessities for parents of small children, according to Executive Director Cathy Holstrom.

Food Link has undertaken this unusual fundraiser in the face of unprecedented demand for its services, Holstrom said, with its number of client families doubling in the past year.

‘‘What a difficult economic situation we are in,” Holstrom said. ‘‘It used to be the people we would service would be working poor or really poor and struggling families. Now we’re seeing families who have never in their lives been in the situation where they have to access emergency services.”

An unexpected medical emergency or car trouble can be enough to bankrupt a family that had been just getting by, she said, and the food budget is one of the first to feel the squeeze of a shrinking family income because the costs of other necessities, like electricity, cannot be controlled.

Trina Robison and her husband Russell, the owners of the Dunkirk house, decided to try a charity raffle to sell their house and to help people after being inspired by a similar event in Hagerstown, Trina said.

‘‘I think it’s a fun way to help a charity,” she said.

In the sale, the Robisons will receive the home’s assessed value of $550,000, with any extra revenue going to Food Link, Trina Robison and Holstrom said; if less than that amount is raised, the raffle will be canceled. But Robison is confident the charity will be able to sell enough tickets.

‘‘We’re moving to Oregon,” she said. ‘‘Otherwise, honestly, I would never sell this house. I love it. It’s a really, really nice piece of property. Everyone I know has purchased tickets. I’m not too worried. It’s a shame everybody who buys a ticket can’t come through and look at it first, because they’d probably buy three or four. Seriously, it’s awesome.”

For more information about the raffle, including pictures of the home, go to www.mmdnewswire.com⁄hunger-relief-organization-3557.html.

Although it has a Dunkirk address, the house is just across the county line, in Anne Arundel County.

Calvert Hospice announces summer programs

* Time to heal: death of a young spouse, a support group for adults up to age 50 or those facing the realities of single parenting while grieving the death of their partners, will meet Tuesdays Aug. 26 through Oct. 11 from 4 to 5:15 p.m. at the Calvert Hospice office, 238 Merrimac Court in Prince Frederick.

* Time to heal: death of a parent, a support group for adults grieving the death of a parent, will meet Tuesdays Aug. 26 through Oct. 11 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Calvert Hospice office, 238 Merrimac Court in Prince Frederick.

* Healing for survivors of suicide, a 12-week holistic program for individuals who have experienced the death of a loved one by suicide, will meet Thursdays Aug. 28 through Nov. 13 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Prince Frederick.

* Drop-in support group for adults who want the opportunity to share feelings and obtain support from others who are experiencing a loss, is offered each Tuesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Calvert Hospice office, 238 Merrimac Court in Prince Frederick.

For more information or to register for one of these programs, contact the Calvert Hospice office at 410-535-0892 or 301-855-1226; or go to www.calverthospice.org.

All bereavement programs are available to Calvert County residents at no charge. No prior connection to Hospice is necessary.

Red Cross needs help at call center

The American Red Cross is recruiting volunteers to help disaster victims around the country — without leaving Southern Maryland.

The La Plata center is one of only 28 call centers in the nation. All calls will come in from the American Red Cross hotline, 1-866-GET-INFO, and a volunteer will provide information, referrals and relief support to individuals and Red Cross units affected by disaster, according to a release.

‘‘We’re proud to have the opportunity to directly serve those affected by a disaster in another part of the country,” said Mike Zabko, CEO of the Southern Maryland chapter, in a release.

‘‘We may get calls from hurricane-damaged areas in Florida or from fire ravaged California and many other disasters across the United States.

‘‘This is especially good for those who want to help with a national disaster, but for what ever reason cannot deploy for a three-week assignment.”

Training is ongoing and provided free of charge.

One only needs skills in using the telephone, light typing, basic computer operation and some compassion to fit well in this volunteer opportunity.

For more information or to volunteer, call 1-888-276-2767.