doing our pART: VERMONT ARTS COUNCIL ORGANIZING SECOND ONLINE AUCTION TO BENEFIT THE VERMONT FOODBANK
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2009
CONTACT: Diane Scolaro, 802-828-5423, dscolaro@vermontartscouncil.org
doing our pART: VERMONT ARTS COUNCIL ORGANIZING SECOND ONLINE AUCTION TO BENEFIT THE VERMONT FOODBANK
Initiative launched in conjunction with President's United We Serve program
MONTPELIER - Friday, September 11th marks the first milestone in the United We Serve program, President Obama's nationwide initiative to create a sustained, collaborative, and focused effort to meet community needs. The President is calling on all Americans to participate in our nation's recovery and renewal by finding ways to serve our communities.
The Vermont Arts Council is joining the effort by organizing its second doing our pART online art auction to benefit the Vermont Foodbank. Last fall, 80 artists and arts organizations stepped to the plate by donating goods and services to the event. When the bidding closed, $10,254 in art had been sold and the Vermont Foodbank received 100% of the proceeds. The contribution equaled 15 tons of food, or approximately 27,000 meals for hungry Vermonters.
The Council is now seeking donations for this year's auction which will take place November 27-December 4. The online auction comes at a time when many Vermonters are feeling anxious about the approaching winter months. With the high costs of both food and heating fuel, many people will be forced to choose between keeping their houses warm or putting a meal on the table. When the Arts Council learned that one in eight Vermonters are currently tapping into the Foodbank's services, they felt compelled to help.
To that end the Arts Council is inviting artists, artisans and arts organizations to contribute to an online auction. It will take place from November 27 - December 4, 2008 and 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Vermont Foodbank. Contributing artists and arts organizations can opt to receive 30% of the proceeds from the sale of their contribution OR they can donate the full amount to the Vermont Foodbank.
The Arts Council is requesting works of art, tickets for performances or events, donations of private lessons or house concerts or arts-related services. In order to raise as much money as possible, the Council would like items that have a value of $100 or more and are of a relatively small size, in order to keep shipping costs manageable.
"Vermont's creative community is a generous and caring one," says Alex Aldrich, Executive Director of the Vermont Arts Council. "Artists tend not to be the wealthiest members of the community and yet they are often the first to donate items to good causes. While circumstances may not allow every artist and organization to take part in this effort, the Arts Council hopes that those who can, will."
"The Vermont Foodbank is thrilled to again partner with the Vermont Arts Council and be the recipients of the online art auction," said John Sayles, Vermont Foodbank CEO. "For years the Arts Council and its members have enriched our communities with their creative spirit, inspiring the artist in each of us, and now, for the second year in a row are pooling their energies to raise vital funds for our neighbors in need of food assistance."
The Vermont Foodbank is the state's largest hunger-relief organization, serving more than 66,000 Vermonters annually through a network of 270 food pantries, soup kitchen, shelters, senior centers and after-school programs. Last year, the Vermont Foodbank distributed nearly 6.5 million pounds of food. Every week, 14,500 Vermonters access the state's charitable food system with middle class families as their fastest growing demographic. For every dollar donated, the Vermont Foodbank can acquire and distribute 2.5 pounds of food.
Anyone interested in contributing to the benefit auction is encouraged to visit the "doing our pART" section of the Arts Council's website at http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/. Questions can be directed to Diane Scolaro, Communications and Development Director, at 828-5423.
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Since 1964, the Vermont Arts Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy and information for the arts in Vermont. It strives to increase public awareness of the positive role artists and arts organizations play in communities and to increase opportunities for Vermonters to experience the arts in everyday life. The Council is the only designated State Arts Agency in the U.S. that is also an independent, not-for-profit, membership organization. For more information on the programs and services of the Vermont Arts Council, visit http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/.
