VINES Preparing for Annual Garden Bowl Fundraiser
A Binghamton organization is getting ready for its sixth annual fundraising event.
For the sixth year, VINES is hosting their annual Garden Bowl bowling fundraising event in February. The event is scheduled for Saturday, February 22nd at Ripics Carousel Lanes in Binghamton from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $16 per person. That covers the cost of two games and shoe rental. In addition, teams are asked to raise a minimum of $125 for the Farm Share program. It is up to each team to decide how to raise the money.
"It is a fundraiser for our Farm Share program specifically, so it's a food access fundraiser. Farm Share is a program where we deliver boxes of vegetables to community members every week for 20 weeks throughout our harvest season, which is typically from June to November," VINES Farm Share Program Manager Nikki Nesbit said.
VINES does offer discounts on boxes of vegetables to those who are income-eligible, which are determined by household size and income. Participants can have their shares discounted up to 75 percent, so all the funds go towards the Farm Share program. The goal is to raise $7,000. Last year's event raised around $6,500.
With the money raised from these fundraisers, VINES is able to feed about 220 families a week. The vegetables come from either the VINES urban farm in Binghamton or Shared Roots Farm in Cortland County. A third farm, North Windsor Berries, had also been involved, but they retired, so VINES is looking for a third farm once again.
The maximum number of teams for the fundraiser is 24 teams, with each team consisting of four to six players. Currently, there have been two teams that have signed up. The cutoff date to sign up is Wednesday, February 19th. There are prizes for the team that raises the most and the team that has the most team spirit, along with raffles and 50/50 drawings.
"So every year, it's a lot of fun. We have teams that come, dress up, we have awards for the most funds raised, and the most team spirit. So it's a lot of fun for just any friends that want to get together, businesses, families. All are welcome," Nesbit said.