Fund Raiser Nets More Than $30,000!

The Riverboat Ramble for Meals On Wheels, sponsored by ARAMARK Dining Services at Longwood University and Hampden-Sydney College, helped to raise a record of more than $30,000 for SCOPE/Meals On Wheels.  More than 200 participants enjoyed the March event which featured fun, food, shopping, music and mouthwatering food at Longwood's Dorrill Dining Hall.

Once again, the greater Farmville Community came together to support Meals On Wheels through the Riverboat Ramble.  More than 80 businesses, organizations, individual donors, creators and artists provided sponsorship and donated items for the auctions.  Funds raised will help to provide more than 20,000 meals for home bound seniors and handicapped folks right here in the Farmville area during the coming
year.

Included in the live and silent auctions were a week in a beach front cottage at Kill Devil Hills, a romantic weekend getaway at Wintergreen, four days in a new vacation house at Buggs Island Lake, a Lazy Boy recliner, watches, accessories, jewelry, gift certificates from local restaurants, golf lessons, professional framing, art work of many types, a golf outing, cakes, pies, and home furnishings.

Helping to put the fund raiser over the top was a $5,000 jackpot drawing.  After more than 200 ticket numbers had been drawn and eliminated, the remaining two ticket holders elected to join forces and donate their winnings to SCOPE/Meals On Wheels.

Taste-Tempting Menu
Featuring cuisine from the Deep South prepared by ARAMARK chefs, the Riverboat Ramble menu included items such as Crab Fritters with Remoulade Sauce, Creole Mustard Crusted Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Seafood Gumbo, Creole Pasta, Dirty Rice, Crawfish Boulettes and Mississippi Mud Cake. 

"I had a lot of folks tell me that the food at this year's event was the best ever," said Jeanie Campbell, event planner.  "That's the kind of thing we like to hear."  Campbell, Associate Director of Food Services for ARAMARK at Longwood, has been the event planner for the last four Meals On Wheels fund raisers, The Chefs Food Festivals "Beach Blast" in 2004, "Hawaiian Holiday" in 2005 and "Festa Italiana" in 2006.

Marcus Pendergrass provided music for the event with his soulful keyboard.  Operations before, during and after the event were handled by a committee of volunteers which included: the ARAMARK staff, Reese Gill, Robin Sedgwick, John Arehart, George Harrison, Anne Simboli, Larry Bidwell, Alice Johnson, Maryjo Stockton, Earl Campbell, Allison Martin, Sarah Stokes, Hoke Currie, E.A. Mayo, Que Wilhelmi, Brenda Ferguson, Jim Ray and event planner Jeanie Campbell.  Among the additional volunteers were William Lynn, Jimmy Carwile, Clare Furness-Vohs, Margaret Bechelli, Frank Lacey, Ellen Masters, Pee Wee Baldwin, Meg Currie, and Jake Currie.

Meals On Wheels Delivers
SCOPE/Meals On Wheels celebrated its sixth birthday in January. The nonprofit organization delivers nutritious meals to homebound elderly and disabled adults in Farmville, Prince Edward County and parts of Cumberland, Buckingham and Lunenburg Counties.  SCOPE/MOW has delivered more than 122,000 meals since the program began.