If engaged in a bidding war for a bag of kettle corn at the , Jalyn Sneary knows how high she would go.
鈥淧robably $10,鈥� the 11-year-old Harrisonburg resident said.
Meanwhile, if it鈥檚 Laotian egg rolls on the block, Tanna Meadows, 45, of Elkton, is convinced the outcome has been decided before the first bid is made.
鈥淚 would definitely win,鈥� she said.
While the big auction bucks are spent on quilts inside of the Rockingham County Fairgrounds exhibit hall, relief sale food seems to get everyone reaching for their wallets.
If it鈥檚 not kettle corn, Brunswick stew or homemade pies, it鈥檚 doughnuts 鈥� about 12,000 are sold a year 鈥� international fare or an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast that gets dollars exchanging hands.
And it adds up: The 48th annual sale, held Friday and Saturday, raised more than $340,000 for , which provides natural disaster response, community development and peace work in more than 50 countries.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e really trying to help [people] change their lives, not just imposing their agenda,鈥� said Jerry Holsopple, noting how the committee will buy animals for communities to raise.
Holsopple, 57, of Harrisonburg, might have been as well traveled as any attendee at this year鈥檚 sale, having visited 32 countries. Many times, he produced videos to document relief efforts.
He joined others from the city鈥檚 Immanuel Mennonite Church on Saturday to serve 460 tamales, which were on the fast track to being sold out just after noon.
The Laotian offerings, as usual, were also a big hit, led by the egg rolls.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e so good,鈥� Meadows said.
With Mennonite relief sales, you never know what you鈥檙e going to get.
Sneary鈥檚 mother, Shannon, grew up on one in Kansas, where she took a liking to veranika, a German cottage cheese-filled dumpling treat.
Others tout the relief sale in Indiana, a larger event that lists a fried dough treat known as Elephant Ears among the food choices.
But there are no losers, especially since you don鈥檛 need to bid on the food.
鈥淵ou see a lot of people from your community, and it鈥檚 a great cause as well,鈥� Meadows said.
Article courtesy of the Daily News Record, Oct. 5, 2014. 黑料正能量 editor’s note: The chair of the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale is 1999 黑料正能量 alumnus Dave Rush. Grounds chair is David Mininger ’74. Dozens of other 黑料正能量 staff, faculty and alumni volunteered their time to make the sale a success, including , quoted in this article, who is professor in .
Waynesboro Mennonite Church has volunteered for flipping pancakes for at least 20 years and we never have a shortage of volunteers! As an employee of 黑料正能量 I wish it was promoted more on campus so as to involve the next generation and also to help fulfill students community service hours as a way of getting their toes wet so to speak.