A charity event is being held Thursday for an organization that assists seniors and homebound residents in several Inland Empire cities.
The Summer Jubilee fundraiser will assist Meals on Wheels Riverside to keep costs low for the approximately 100 clients relying on the program for healthy, fresh food. Thursday’s event will be hosted by Meals on Wheels Riverside’s board President Judy Teunissen at her Riverside home, located at 2006 Adams St.
The carnival-themed event begins at 5:30 p.m. and includes food, fun games, hand-dipped ice cream, cotton candy and even a Ferris wheel. The $125 cost includes 10 activity tickets, which can also be used at the whiskey tasting booth, cigar bar and for food offerings.
Buy an event entrance ticket here.
To boost funds for Meals on Wheels, a silent auction and a live auction will be included during the evening. A homeless puppy from Riverside County Animal Services will provide a fuzzier side to the live auction.
“Many people do not realize that our clients sign up and pay for these nutritious meals,” Teunissen said. “These are the residents that do not qualify for subsidized meals – but need our help because some of them are unable to leave their homes.”
She said this fundraiser is also intended to raise awareness about Meals on Wheels Riverside, an organization that functions on a bare-bones budget, thanks to the network of 140 volunteers handling 14 routes. These volunteers drive roughly 5,700 miles per month to the cities of Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco and Riverside. Meals on Wheels employs just two part-time employees.
“We’re functioning with very low overhead and that’s why we’re hopeful we’ll see a great turnout for our first event in several years,” Teunissen said. “And if people are not available on Thursday night, a small donation is always appreciated.”
The Summer Jubilee gold sponsors include: A to Z Printing, Compass Pest Management, HomeStreet Bank, Leivas Tax Wealth Management, Surety Home Care, SystemGo IT, Wicks Brewing and Woodard Group. Silver sponsors include: Jeannine Brown/Impact Real Estate, Outlook Escrow Inc., Pacific Hydrotech Corporation, Riverside County Animal Services and Shepherd Realty Group.
