Fifty-five donors and 55 buyers helped make the Metchosin Community Association Services Auction auction a success.
Area residents brought their hearts and their pocketbooks to the annual fundraiser, which raised approximately $5,500 to help maintain services offered by the MCA’s Metchosin Community House.
“It is time for a sigh of relief, and between that and the Mighty Garage Sale, we should have enough to get through another year,” said MCA board member Ron Tenove, who moved to Metchosin from Alberta 13 years ago. “It is a chunk of operation revenue earmarked for key programs. That is how important it is and that’s why we get an enthusiastic crowd, the place is always full and away we go.”
The plethora of service donations included a luxury wine tour, a fishing charter, a pet portrait, septic field clean out and a soap making workshop. They were among the items for which bidding began online, with some bidding eventually moving over to a live auction.
“I have been here since 2000 and raised my family here, so I wanted to support the community,” said Angus Stewart. His Timberhawk home-building company donated eight hours of labour with a carpenter and apprentice, plus design help. “It’s important to have a central location, a place where people can come to. With the municipal grounds here, it’s a great area to be a part of and to have (this facility) in your community.”
Not only is it used for important community events, but also for private events, said Metchosin Coun. Kyara Kahakauwila. She attended her sister’s engagement party there and planned to host her mother’s 70th birthday party in June.
“I have always enjoyed coming to events here; it really is a strong sense of what Metchosin is. And the fact the MCA is able to continue that through their own fundraising, as well as through the events they support, is a fantastic addition to the community,” she said. “It is such a beautiful place, it is indicative of how we live in Metchosin. We all come together and do things for each other.”
alim@goldstreamgazette.com