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EDWARDSVILLE - Over the past month and a half, Edwardsville Neighbors, a local nonprofit 501(c)3 dedicated to helping families facing medical crisis, raised an incredible $127,000 to support the Edwardsville region.
The group recently created a COVID-19 relief assistance initiative, and within one month, had issued $41,000 in assistance checks to people struggling with health or sudden loss of income.
Typically, the organization would be hosting its largest fundraising event of the year this month, Taste of Edwardsville. The event features samplings from independent restaurants in town and has grown to be a highly-anticipated event, hosting more than 500 guests each year.
Edwardsville Neighbors President and Co-Founder, Kathie Opel, said they had the idea to quickly reorganize the annual event into a virtual fundraiser as a way to support all of the local restaurants who have made Taste a success over the years.
The virtual Taste of Edwardsville raised $86,000 in a single night. The donations were described as "grassroots donations" in small amounts, so hundreds joined together to support the effort.
“Without these amazing local restaurants, Taste of Edwardsville would not exist so we knew we had to do something to say 'thank you' for the years of the support they’ve given us,” said Opel. “We were determined to hold Virtual Taste on the same day we would have typically held our traditional event, which meant we only had ten days to pull everything together.”
Opel said in less than a week and a half, 13 local restaurants jumped on board to create a Taste of Edwardsville experience people could purchase and enjoy at home. Local bands Well Hungarians and Mike Sonderegger Music, who typically play at the annual fundraiser, put together a free Livestream "concert" people could watch. Meanwhile, Edwardsville Neighbors transformed their mobile bidding site to an online platform for sales – mimicking the auction portion of the event. The goal was to provide the community a fun night during quarantine, with all fundraising proceeds going to directly help the restaurants, their out of work staff, and local small businesses.
In the end, more than 400 families enjoyed a Taste at Home "foodie" experience and restaurant workers delivered the food. Combined with the community relief fund, Edwardsville Neighbors has distributed $127,000 in assistance specific for COVID-19 pandemic relief.
“We feel so grateful for the support the community has shown us for these fundraising efforts,” said Opel. “This is a very stressful and uncertain time for a lot of people, and it was amazing to just take a moment to not only help people, but also give them something to enjoy with their families. We’re so thankful to everyone who helped us pull this virtual event together on such short notice.”
Established as a nonprofit charitable organization in 2010, Edwardsville Neighbors works to promote its services in the community and actively seeks nominations for families facing medical hardship within the Edwardsville School District’s boundaries. Over the last ten years, the organization has distributed over $800,000 to District 7 families facing medical crisis.
For more information about Edwardsville Neighbors or to apply for relief through their COVID-19 Relief Fund, go to https://edwardsvilleneighbors.org.
Edwardsville Neighbors Raises More than $127,000 to Support Community Impacted by COVID-19.
