Millersburg Lions Club chicken dinner fundraiser May 22
Millersburg Lions Club members were eager to volunteer at the chicken barbecue fundraiser last year, and on Saturday, May 22 at 10:30 a.m., the group will cook chicken quarters as part of their fundraiser meals.
When the Millersburg Lions Club held its first chicken barbecue last September, the members weren’t sure if they would sell the allotted 400 chicken dinners or even come close to doing so.
A hectic 45 minutes after their sale started, it was over, the club having sold out that quickly as two lines of vehicles lined up to enter the parking lot behind the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce building in Millersburg to the point where traffic was on the main street.
It was a feeding frenzy, one that took the members by surprise.
On Saturday, May 22 beginning at 10:30 a.m., the Lions will up the ante, this time making enough dinners to serve nearly twice as many people, and this time they feel like they are much more prepared.
“That was pretty wild,” Lions Club member Bob Porter said of the last go-around. “The way people supported us and have always supported us has been incredible. We are extremely grateful to everyone who made the last one so successful, and we invite everyone to stop by and do the same this time around.”
There will be a suggested donation of $10 per dinner, which will include a 1-pound chicken quarter, apple sauce, baked beans and a drink. Plus, there will be a 50/50 raffle, and all of this is available without patrons ever leaving their vehicles.
Because of the pandemic, the Lions Club has not had many opportunities to present their regular fundraiser events over the past year, so it has been a challenge to find creative ways to raise money to help the Millersburg Lions Club touch the lives of countless people, providing glasses and other sight-related articles, hearing aids, and helping the community in many other ways.
Not only do the Lions provide glasses, hearing aids and other necessities for people, but also they put up the American flags and Christmas lights and decorations in downtown Millersburg. The group also sponsors area sports teams and school functions and events.
“It has put a burden on us, but this is a unique year, and it isn’t anyone’s fault other than the virus,” said Lions member Butch Wright, the club’s longest serving member with 58 years of Lions Club experience under his belt. “We lost all of our money-making projects, so we started keeping our eyes open for other fundraising opportunities.”
Just like the prior event, this one is going to be set up where people can just drive through and pick up their orders, making it as safe and easy as possible for people.
No tickets are required. Patrons can simply pull into the parking lot, make a donation and get their meals, and they can buy tickets for the 50/50 at the same time.
“We learned a lot from that last event,” Porter said. “We will be doing some things differently to make sure the flow of traffic is better.”
While the club continues to go by Millersburg Lions Club, it is actually a club that serves all of Holmes County because the Berlin Lions disbanded a couple years ago. When that happened, the Berlin Lions donated their barbecue pit to the Millersburg Lions, setting the stage for the club to invest more heavily in these chicken dinner fundraisers.
“While we are the Millersburg Lions Club, we might as well be the Holmes County Lions because we do serve all of Holmes County and have members all over,” Porter said. “We rely on all of the county to help us, and we really want to drive home the fact that we would love to get more participation from the east side of the county.”
Anyone wishing to join or learn more about the Lions Club can do so by asking any Lions Club member to take them to a meeting. People also can donate used eyeglasses to the Lions, with drop boxes located at Rodhe’s IGA, Killbuck Savings Bank in Millersburg and the Family Eyecare Associates on Glen Drive in Millersburg.
“Everything we do is for our community,” Porter said. “We can’t survive as a club without the support of the community.”
Thus, donating to the Lions for a chicken dinner will see all of the proceeds go directly back into the community.
With the aroma of the chicken and the smoke from the barbecue pit wafting across town, downtown Millersburg should be a happening place on Saturday, May 22. If past history is any omen, those wanting to invest in a great meal may want to get there as early as possible.
The Millersburg Lions Club is open to accepting new members from all over Holmes County because it is the only Lions Club in the county. Visit their Facebook page or talk to any member about how to join.