Neighbors Supporting Neighbors: Haystack Supper and Benefit Auction Raises Nearly $200,000 for Amish Care Fund
The Amish community raised nearly $200,000 at its Haystack Supper and Benefit Auction, an event organized by the Amish community to raise funds for community members who are facing life-limiting illnesses.
The event benefits the Amish Care Fund, which enables Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare to provide hospice services to anyone in the Amish community. Hospice care involves a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to an individual’s needs.
“We’re grateful to all who organized, donated, supported, and attended the Haystack Supper and Benefit Auction,” said Kurt Holmes, executive director of Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare. “This event embodies the spirit of neighbors caring for neighbors.”
The benefit was held at the Mt. Hope Event Center in Millersburg, Ohio. A traditional haystack supper was prepared, cooked and served to nearly 3,500 people. The live auction included indoor and outdoor furniture, grills, quilts, yard tools, e-bikes, baked goods, power tools, flowers, experiences, and children’s items. The raffle included more than 10 high value items, many donated to the event.
Steve Chupp of Steve Chupp Auctions was the auctioneer. “The Haystack supper and auction is a very cool way to bring the community together in support of hospice care. I do a lot of benefit auctions throughout the year, and some are a little more personal than others,” Chupp said. “In 2009, I lost my dad due to cancer, and hospice care was so awesome through the process. Hospice care is something that no one wants to utilize. However, in a time of need, everyone in the community will be very grateful for the support they provide.”
Lynne Gilt, RN, team leader of home care at Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, attended alongside other staff. “We live in a unique area of Ohio that cares deeply for each other, and that was reflected in the support shown,” she said. “Most importantly, it was nice to reconnect with families that we have supported during their loved one’s last journey.”
Katherine Ritchie, development director at Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, expressed appreciation for the Amish community. “Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare truly appreciates our partnership with the Amish community, their support through events like these, and annual gifts that help provide care to all those in need,” she said. “We are so fortunate to have a community that deeply aligns with our mission and supports us so generously.”
Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, a not-for-profit organization established in 1982, is an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice that serves communities in northeast Ohio. It embodies the spirit of neighbors caring for neighbors with a commitment to relieve suffering, ease fears, and provide companionship along life’s last journey. Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare addresses patient and family needs wherever the patient calls home. Services also include access to the Stanley C. and Flo K. Gault Inpatient Pavilion, providing short-term patient care to manage acute symptoms, adjust medications, or stabilize patient condition. The Marilyn B. and Mark E. Gustafson Center for Supportive Care includes Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare’s Volunteer Services, the Pathways of HopeSM Grief Counseling Center, and transportation service and support.
