MOUNT VERNON — As large, annual events like the Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival and Praisestock are canceled, non-profits that serve Knox County are losing platforms for their annual fundraisers.
Praisestock, put on by local churches and religious groups, is a major fundraiser for Food For the Hungry. Without the Music and Arts Festival, the Exchange Club of Mount Vernon and Knox County lost the venue from its annual pork chop dinner fundraiser.
With no large crowds allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions, many different events are getting canceled throughout the county, including events that non-profits depend upon as fundraisers.
“We’ve been slowly adjusting and we’re going to slowly recalibrate what we can do,” she said. While nothing can really replace the pork chop sale, she said maybe the club’s Healing Field fundraiser can help make up for some of the lost funds.
The loss of the pork chop sale will affect some of the things the exchange club will be able to do, according to Collier. She explained that the loss of the funds will affect how much in scholarships the club can give out and what they can do to give back to the community.
“People at the exchange are all hard workers,” Collier offered about what they will do moving forward. “And I’m excited to see what they come up with.”
And even though COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in their plans, she said they have a new round of energy to start loving and helping the community even more once they can get back out there.
“We haven’t lost hope yet,” Collier said. “I can’t wait to get back to volunteering.”
Dave Ewart, vice chairman of the Praisestock board of directors, said they canceled Praisestock because it would have been unwise to have big crowds gather. Instead, he said they are looking at trying to hold other, smaller events.
“We’re going to find a way,” Ewart said, explaining that the current line of thinking is having weekly live worship events where a love offering is collected somewhere in town. “We have some different plans, but we don’t want to draw big crowds.”
But the idea is still a work in process and there’s still a lot on the table. Ewart explained that they still want to bring attention to Food For the Hungry and the need and mission FFTH has, no matter what they do.
“I don’t know if we will have the same results (with smaller events),” he said, adding that he would guess that giving is down at the moment due to there being no large events. “We don’t have the same resources... We still want to be the kick-off for Food For the Hungry, we want to be a part of that mission.
“It’s a stressful, mixed up time. We want to (send out) a message of hope and goodness. That in Christ, there is hope.”
FFTH Director Lisa Mazzari said the majority of their events will happen this fall, but if they will happen remain unclear at this point. And with other events being canceled or moved online, she said they are looking at alternative ways to have events and get creative.
“It’s important and vital to have Food For the Hungry,” she said. “Up to this point, we’ve been very blessed. ... We’ve been blessed to have a compassionate and generous community.”
She said that several businesses have helped by sending donations and partnering with them to help with their services and grant programs. They have already seen some donations they don’t usually get and some short-term partnerships with local companies like Ariel.
“We’re fortunate to have creative and committed people to make things happen,” Mazzari said. “We will continue to raise funds and help out to still be able to meet the needs of the people.”
The big and scary part of this, Mazzari explained, was what will happen when unemployment benefits end and when eviction and shut-off notices start happening. When that time comes, Mazzari said they will be there to help address those needs and issues.
“The fall will be interesting. It will take creativity and people rallying like they have been to help us reach our goal and help those doing the face-to-face work,” Mazzari said, adding that the recent events have shown what a kind and compassionate community Knox County is.
Interchurch Social Services of Knox County took a hit as its thrift stores, dubbed non-essential in the state’s stay-at-home order, were closed for two months earlier this year. However, they are doing well so far.
“We’ve been very blessed throughout all of this,” Joy Harris, director of Interchurch, said. “We’ve received some large donations from some corporations and individuals.”
And with the extra help being provided from the state, things like the extra $600 a month for unemployment and more SNAP benefits, Interchurch’s client numbers have been lower lately. Harris said people are making those benefits stretch at the moment so they don’t have to use the services provided by Interchurch.
“All of this plays into how we are doing,” Harris said, adding that she knows, from personal experience, that some people are making more from unemployment than they would be working at the moment.
She said that when people do need them, Interchurch will be ready to help.
“I think things will even everything out,” Harris said. She added that even after the end of the extra benefits and they see the return of more individuals, they should be all right since numbers are low at the moment.
Even though their event isn’t until October, United Way of Knox County moved the annual Power of the Purse fundraiser online. Executive director Kelly Brenneman said their kickoff week events have also been canceled because it seems just a bit too risky. What they’ve been trying to do is follow all guidelines and do what’s right for the community.
“Things have been a little bit slow at the moment,” Brenneman said. “We can’t go visit people, our donors and the community, to see what they need and want.”
She added that they want to be cautious at the moment and be very easy-going with what comes their way. But at the moment, she said they are in a good position to fulfill the obligations that they have. Once fall hits, they will start fundraising again to help with next year’s budget.
“We’ve always been very frugal and cautious with funds,” she said, adding that things are looking “so far, so good” for next year.
And while Power of the Purse may not be the grand success it has been in the past, Brenneman said that they still will raise money that is needed to invest in some ongoing projects.
One of their current projects is the start-up COVID-19 Response and Recovery program. She said that they just started having meetings and are working on grant applications now.
“2020 is just a different year,” Brenneman said. “We aren’t down about it and we will deal with it as it happens.”
