KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL (Tennessee)
Taste of South Aids Mission of Hope;
D.C. Fund-Raiser Nets Charity $280,000
May 20, 2005 Friday
A southern states' charity fund-raiser collected about $280,000 for the Mission of Hope charity in Knoxville -- considerably more than the total
raised in past years' events.
The fund-raiser was Saturday, and the estimated proceeds were confirmed
Thursday.
Mission of Hope, a faith-based charity that rents a warehouse near the University of Tennessee campus, helps the poorest children in 17 Tennessee and Kentucky counties with Christmas gifts, clothing, food, and school-year backpacks and supplies.
Emmette Thompson, executive director of Mission of Hope, said the $280,000 or so that is expected will be saved as seed money and hopefully matched with other donations to enable buying a building for more permanent operations.
"This is phenomenal," Thompson said Thursday. "We feel like we're on a roll right now. I want to capture the energy and the excitement of this"and attract more donors toward purchasing a warehouse/office building.
The Knoxville charity was selected as the top beneficiary of the Taste of the South Inc.'s annual gathering of former residents of 13 southern states who now work in Washington, D.C. The more than 2,000 attendees plan an evening of southern dishes, drinks and music and collect funds and other aid through corporate and individual sponsors.
This year's event raised more than $400,000, compared to about $260,000
last year, event spokesperson Shana Stribling said. The top charity
receives 70 percent of the net proceeds; other charities and operationalcosts get the remainder.
Mission of Hope was selected based on its proposal, its promotion by a Taste of the South volunteer, Patra Stephan, who also works in Tennessee Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.'s office, and after review by the selection committee.
