AMHERST – With just a simple donation to the local food bank, visitors to the Lion’s Club on Saturday were able to shop around and pick themselves up a few goodies while supporting a good cause.
Charlotte Ross of the Amherst Food Assistance Network said the Lionesses always lend her a helping hand in order to support the needy families in the area.
“It’s been a tremendous help to our local food bank,” she said. “Without the Lionesses, we would be hard up. They help us in many ways throughout the year. It’s been a wonderful contribution to the food bank.”
In addition to the yearly fair, Ross said every month, the Lionesses also make a monetary donation.
Marg MacDonald, the Lioness’ Club President, said over the past 14 years doing the Fall Fair, they have donated over a thousand pounds of food donations to the food bank. A couple of months’ prep work every year, she said, has certainly paid off.
“Our mission with the Fall Fair was to make a donation to the food bank every year,” she said. “And we’ve had another successful day today.”
MacDonald said the vendors have been a great help making the fair successful and some have been setting up their tables every year since it started. Sharon Boudreau is one of them.
“This is a good avenue at which to sell our crafts,” said Boudreau. “We pay a fee to the Lionesses to help out the food bank. We also donate crafts to the silent auctions (to help out the food bank) as well. The town needs (the food bank). There are a lot of families out there struggling.”
MacDonald said another reason the fair is successful has to do with the generosity of the residents of Amherst.
“When we say we’re doing it for the food bank, they always come through,” she said. “If not in food, then they give a monetary donation.”
jturner@amherstdaily.com
