Hendersonville – A Henderson County Education Foundation dining-related fundraiser runs through this weekend, to help students in need in such ways as providing them warm coats and gasoline cards for their families.
HCEF Executive Director Peggy Marshall noted that the seventh annual Food for Thought Campaign is Jan. 12-28, ending this Sunday.
By then, a person who dines at any participating Henderson County restaurant enters a drawing as a HCEF donor. Seal $5 in an envelope, write contact info on the envelope, and deposit it in the HCEF box. The prize is a $50 gift card from that restaurant. Visiting three or more of the restaurants qualifies for extra prizes.
Proceeds support the annual HCEF Spring Fund, to benefit Henderson County Public Schools (HCPS) students in 2024–25. In October, National Principals Month, the 23 HCPS school principals each get at least $1,000 in discretionary funds from the HCEF.
“This fund is important to our principals,” so they can “support students facing immediate challenges” from “sudden tragedies or who are grappling with extraordinary financial hardships,” Marshall said. “It helps provide for some of the special needs of students not otherwise funded by the district. The money helps “meet day-to-day emergencies and other needs faced by some of the district’s most vulnerable children.”
Specific aid to students includes “gas cards, school supplies, meals outside of school, graduation materials, essential medications, and clothing such as warm coats during the winter months,” Marshall noted. The high temperature was merely in the mid-20s on Jan. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 20.
Participating Restaurants
Marshall added that “our restaurant community has faithfully and generously supported the annual Food for Thought Campaign to support local public education.”
Participating restaurants are, in alphabetical order: A Day in the Country, Arabella, Black Bear Coffee, Eggs Up Grill, Hannah Flanagan’s, Hendersonville Community Co-op and Deli, HenDough Chicken and Donuts, Indian Aroma Bistro, Marino’s Pizza House, McFarlan Bake Shop, Mezzaluna, Mike’s on Main, Moe’s Original BBQ, Monte’s Sub Shop, Mountain Deli, Nora’s Off Main, Pop’s Diner, Postero, Shine, The Dugout Sports Bar and Taphouse, Three Chopt Sandwich Shoppe, Uncle Scott’s Pizza, West First Wood Fired Pizza, White Duck Taco Shop, and Wine Sage and Gourmet.
The fund’s “Spring” name reflects how it is a “vital springboard between principals and the students under their care. It is only through individual donations and business sponsorships that we can continue providing this necessary support.” The foundation was formed 38 years ago, in 1986, and launched the fund in 1989 as The Special Fund for Children thanks to an anonymous benefactor.
Current 2023-24 Super Spring Fund sponsors are AdventHealth, Champion Comfort Experts, and Only Hope WNC, and the Spring Fund sponsors are Alessi Insurance Services, Blue Ridge Orthodontics, Champion Credit Union, Eagle Self Storage, UNC Health Pardee, Rosemary and Rick Johnston, Curt and Sue Marker, and Kiki and Vaughan Matthews.
Leader in Me Benefit
The Leader in Me program is the beneficiary of the HCEF Sporting Clays Tournament on March 22. Leader in Me is in 13 of the 23 HCPS schools, teaching students life and leadership skills.
Sporting clays is clay pigeon shooting on a course with natural terrain, to simulate the unpredictability of live quarry shooting. Each contestant shoots at 100 total targets at 15 shooting stations.
This second annual tourney is on March 22 at 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Cleghorn Gun Club in Rutherfordton. The entry fee is $225 per person, or $800 for a four-person team. The winning team gets $500 to spend at the pro shop. Those not competing can sponsor a school team for $400 or one educator for $225. There is also a 50-50 raffle to benefit HCPS.
The 2024 Education Celebration is on April 30 at Jeter Mountain Farm. The spring banquet is when HCEF honors teachers of the year and its new Henderson County Education Hall of Fame inductees. The Golf Classic and Rock on for Education were the first two benefit events of 2023-24.
Check info@hcefnc.org for information about HCEF and its programs.