UPDATE: CASA claims chili bragging rights
The winner of Thursday evening’s Chili for Charity is CASA (or Court Appointed Special Advocates), for chili made and served by Brown Business Services.
CASA was among 11 local organizations took to the streets… er, fire hall for chili bragging rights and the chance at a little cash. And Concordians turned out in force despite the last-minute decision to move the annual Chili for Charity event from the streets and sidewalks at Sixth and Washington to the Concordia Fire Department.
As the fundraiser began at 5 p.m., winds in downtown Concordia were gusting to about 45 mph, according to AccuWeather.
A total of $675 was raised, according to Sister Jean Befort of Neighbor to Neighbor, one of the co-sponsors of the event, and every organization taking part received a portion of the proceeds, based on how many “votes” each received. CASA was the top votegetter, with Neighbor to Neighbor coming in second and Big Brothers Big Sisters capturing third.
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Each contestant offered a sample of homemade chili — some with fixin’s and others unadorned. A few even sweetened things up with after-chili treats of mints, brownies and sugar-coated doughnut holes. Also representing the Sisters of St. Joseph was Helping Hands, the food pantry at Manna House of Prayer. Many of the organizations had individuals or other supporters doing the cooking and serving for them. The other organizations taking part, with the “preparers” in parentheses, were:
- National Orphan Train Complex (Roberta Lowery)
- Big Brothers Big Sisters (Concordia Fire Department)
- Cloud County Food Bank (Cloud County Community College)
- Club 81 (Resident Assistants)
- NCK Honor Flight (Bev Mortimer and USD 333)
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Scott Coppoc)
- Bentley’s Buddies (Jared and Dawn Thoman)
- Bentley’s Badges (with two entries, by Doug and Holly Thoman and Justin and Mandy Davis)
Those buying tickets to sample the chilis received three votes to award to their favorite chili, or their favorite charity. The proceeds from the evening were divided based on the number of votes each organization received.
This year’s event was sponsored by the Neighbor to Neighbor center in downtown Concordia and Cloud County Community College.
What a great event! The chili in little cups ended up being more than a “full meal deal” for me. And, all of the little extras made it very special. The spirit among the contestants and participants was fun. One could feel the competition, but it was done with great community spirit … CONCORDIA STYLE!