Help Tuck Them In! block party will offer food, prizes and cash — all for a good cause
For the last couple years, Help Tuck Them In! organizers and volunteers have worked tirelessly — motivated by heart, not reward — behind the scenes to put beds in the homes of children, some of whom may never have had one. On Friday, Sept. 12, they can publicly celebrate their benevolence, each other, and the overall success of the flourishing project at their inaugural downtown block party.
The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on that Friday at the Eagles Club; it will take place inside and outside of the building on 4th St. After all, block parties should be held under blue skies.
“The Eagles Club is kind of smaller, so we are blocking off the alley outside,” said Lori Alf, who along with fellow Lion Joe Buyck has been a constant driving force behind the project.
“Jerry Gladis will be playing on the driveway of the DAC, and we will have music throughout the night. It will be that whole area, plus the area inside, so don’t feel like you can’t come because you think it’s going to be too crowded.”
Alf said there will be plenty of tables and chairs set up outside. After that, the rest is up to Mother Nature.
“We have to hope for nice weather,” she said, metaphorical fingers crossed.
Attendees will be treated to pork sandwiches, courtesy of Fultz Farms, for a goodwill donation; silent and live auctions; music; and a raffle, with prizes including a Yamaha generator, John Deere air compressor, GMG Ledge Pellet Grill, 40 units of seed soybeans, a “ladies’ weekend” in Sioux Falls and a $1,000 Tracy Food Pride gift certificate. Raffle tickets can be purchased at Food Pride, and the raffle drawing will begin at 9 p.m.
Also, those bringing a new set of twin sheets or a new pillow, will be entered into drawing that could put $100 hard cash in their pocket.
“And if we get too many pillows, we’ll have another drawing,” Buyck said.
Help Tuck Them In! is a non-profit organization that relies on all kinds of donations — from quilts, to bedding, and, of course, money.
“We need to raise some money so we’re not just out begging,” Buyck said. “It’s easy to go out and ask somebody, but we thought, ‘Let’s include the community,’ and this is the best way to do it.”
Part of the Help Tuck Them In! crew will also be serving food out at the high school football field that night during the Panthers’ game against conference rival Springfield.
