Annual Food Pantry golf tourney raised over $6,000
Every year for nearly two decades, the Food Pantry of O’Fallon has received a large donation that grows every year to exceed expectations from the 19th Annual Pete MacLaughlin Food Pantry Golf Tournament held at the Hills Golf Course at McKendree University.
This year topped out with a lump sum donation of 100 percent of all the proceeds from the 19th Annual Pete MacLaughlin Food Pantry Golf Tournament totaling $6,575.
The event occurs every year with many sponsors aiming to raise the bar for the bulk donation to the pantry.
“It’s just such a great and appealing event to so many, including myself, (as) I’ve been an event golfer for almost 12 years, and every year it grows, in fact I think this year was one of the biggest turnouts we’ve had,” Bill Turkington, event committee member, said. “I have friends from St. Louis, Mo. and other local communities that actually participate, and keep coming back.”
According to O’Fallonite Ron Dormer, this year’s golf tourney has outdone itself.
“It’s a great event and I just love helping the Food Pantry. I’ve been volunteering for years, and I will keep it up as long as I can,” Dormer said with an ear-to-ear smile.
Turkington said he’s an avid golfer who looks forward to this event every year because he knows that all the proceeds are being funneled to a place where funding is needed without anyone divvying out money to cover costs of the event.
“I golf with Gary Graham (O’Fallon Mayor), and he and his wife, Lucia, go above and beyond to help with the Food Pantry beyond politics, and have participated in years past, but this year they were out of town, but they still made sure to sponsor a sign for the tourney,” Turkington boasted. “And that is one of the things we push for—if you can’t show support by golfing, then you can sponsor a sign for as little as $50, and it will be posted at one of the holes along the golf course.”
Turkington said he has been on the event planning committee for about five years now, and he saw more sponsor signs than usual this year.
“I’m retired and I have a trainer, a chiropractor, physical therapist and a Pilates instructor, and all of those, what I call my health team, contributed either by playing or purchasing a sign,” Turkington explained. “So with reasonable golfers and a good cause, it was a very hot day, but it was a fun one, and that’s what matters.”
Roy Carlson, event committee chairman, said although the event draws in locals who love to golf, it also draws in new people from the region every year that want to contribute to expel community hunger.
“This was my first year as chairman, but this has been going on for 19 years as a sole means to raise money for the food pantry,” Carlson said.
With a total of 16 teams and 64 players, the turnout was great on Sunday, June 7, according to Carlson.
“As the name implies we ‘will golf for food,’” Carlson added.
Longtime volunteer and pantry coordinator Patty Strube said it’s donations like the golf tourney’s proceeds that really make a difference with the pantry’s efforts to help those in need.
According to Strube, last month’s expenses for food purchases to supply food pantry clients was well over $10,000.
“Actually, I think we spent closer to $11,000, so heck, that’ll give us almost a month’s worth of shopping,” Strube noted. “And that’s great!”
In 2014, the Food Pantry helped feed 4,000 O’Fallon-Shiloh families in 2014. Over the course of the last 18 years, the golf tourney has raised over $132,000 in proceeds.
The Food Pantry is located at 801 E. State St. in O’Fallon, and can be reached by calling 624-7040.
For more information about the Food Pantry visit the O’Fallon Township website.
This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Annual Food Pantry golf tourney raised over $6,000."