Link to Auction Catalog (PDF)
What Can I Donate?
Our 15th annual Service Auction, an important fundraiser for UUCSJS, will be held on Saturday, November 16th. It’s a fun evening of fellowship and winning, so mark your calendars now. You’re probably asking yourself at this very moment what you can donate. The possibilities are almost endless. Here are some examples.
Events
The most popular category of donation is Events. You can host a themed dinner either at your home or in the UU Center. Luau anyone? Aloha! French dinner? Mais oui! Sushi and chopsticks? Domo arigato! Fondue party? No double dipping!
Or, you can take people on a nature experience. White-water rafting? Whoaaaa, yeah! A birding morning? Tweet-tweet! A Pine Barrens tour? Look out for the Jersey Devil!
Or come up with any other adventure you can think up. A field trip to the Wildwood Boardwalk? Watch the tram-car please! A British high tea? Tut-tut – and please pass the lemon curd! A make-your-own-pizza party? Ciao, baby!
Items
If you’re like the little old lady who drove her ’98 Chevy only on Sundays to go to church and it’s still in pristine condition, then donate some of your gently-used stuff. No large furniture, please. Or if you’re like me and have a kitchen full of never-used appliances and gadgets – what was I thinking when I bought that mandoline! – then let some other lucky person feast on your misfortune.
Remember that lovely kitchen towel set you bought for Aunt Thelma? Well, Aunt Thelma is in assisted living now and can’t use it. What about the unworn slim jeans you bought for yourself last summer? Hmmm, that was before you started inhaling Dunkin Donuts every morning. Perfect to donate!
Baked Goods
This is the yummy category. If you’re a fair hand at baking, why not donate a pie or two? Or cookies . . . or scones . . . or brownies . . . excuse me, I have to get a snack.
Ok, I’m back. What if you’re like Melissa and can create a delicious vegan pesto? Or like Jack and have a winemaking operation that any speakeasy during Prohibition would have coveted? Or like Helen and make the best pumpkin pies on the planet? Donate! Donate! Donate!
Handmade Items
A category near and dear to my heart, handmade items can include earrings (my motto is that you can never have too many pairs of earrings) or necklaces (ditto the earrings motto). If you make your own pottery, take heed – donate your originals; I’m the proud owner of many beautiful Marie Taylor pieces. If you’re a knitter or crocheter, like Peg Gillies, donate your scarves, bags, sweaters, baby clothes, and other cute stuff. If you’re an artist, whatever you do well, donate your lovely creations!
Services
Once the mainstay of our auction, services of many types are valued. Housecleaning services? Guitar lessons? Surfing lessons? Full-body massages? Resume writing? Repair work around the house? Babysitting? Limo service to and from the airport? Raking leaves? Our congregation offers a plethora of generous services, yours for a reasonable bid.
Another Way to Donate
If you really don’t have anything to donate – don’t tell me you’re still keeping that old guitar on which you used to play Kumbaya – you can buy a sponsorship.
If you have a business and want to advertise, you buy a sponsorship and we’ll put an ad for your business in the Auction catalog. Easy!
A sponsorship also can be a burning message you want to announce to the congregation. A sponsorship gets you a quarter, half or whole page to get your message out. Do you want to thank someone for something? Do you want to share your joy with the congregation? Or do you just want to share a lovely poem with others? Sponsorship forms will be in the back of the sanctuary with the donation forms.
Here’s your chance! Donate! Donate! Donate!
