The local chapter of a national charity is teaming up with an Edinburgh manufacturer to help bring Christmas to disadvantaged children.
More than 18 prizes with a collective value of more than $5,000 will be raffled off by Bartholomew County Toys for Tots. Sponsored by Georg Utz Inc. of Edinburgh, raffle tickets will be sold between now and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
The highest-priced prizes will be awarded to an individual who purchased a $50 raffle ticket. They include a large Green Egg smoker with a large nest ($1,300 value), an outdoor stove tower ($700), an Adventure Awaits travel basket ($500) and two quarters of frozen meat: beef and pork ($750 combined).
Most of the prizes will go to those who purchase a $25 raffle ticket. Basket items and their value include tools ($200), a Game Day football package($115), simmering suppers ($145) and a Taste of Italy ($135). There’s also pizza for a year ($264) and professional cleaning certificates ($125).
More prizes will be added through the rest of this month, according to Toys for Tots volunteer coordinator Kelly Sullivan. More details, as well as a link for buying raffle tickets online, can be found on the Facebook page of “George Utz, INC Bartholomew County Toys for Tots Raffle.”
Toys for Tots is a program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. While the program had long been established in Jennings County, Toys for Tots began to gain a foothold within Bartholomew County in 2016.
Today, Toys For Tots is one of a number of Christmas charities who work together when necessary to ensure every deserving child is served.
While the idea for a fundraising raffle came up during a committee meeting, Sullivan said it was understood there was no way the nonprofit could handle such an event by themselves.
So they went approached Georg Utz Inc., which makes returnable plastic containers, pallets, component holders and custom solutions, Sullivan said. The company was approached because the Edinburgh manufacturer had been very generous to Toys for Tots a year earlier, she added.
“They agreed to sponsor the raffle,” Sullivan said. “Georg Utz provided us with $5,000 to obtain the raffle items.”
Last year, Bartholomew County Toys for Tots provided gifts to more than 1,000 kids. Sullivan said inflation and other economic challenges likely means more children will have to be served this December.
With a 2024 fundraising goal of $65,000, Bartholomew County Toys For Tots will bring back a successful fundraiser in November that provided the charity with about $35,000 last year, Sullivan said.
“Busting Out For The Kids” takes prominent or well-known local residents and holds them in a mock “jail” for an hour-and-a-half. The person being held is asked to use their contacts to raise $2,500 before they are released.
Where to find raffle tickets
To purchase raffle tickets online, go to Facebook and look up: George Utz, INC Bartholomew County Toys for Tots Raffle. Click on DISCUSSION below the title. Links placed under individual posts that begin with www.zeffy.com will take you to where you can purchase the tickets.
To purchase raffle tickets online, go to Facebook and look up: George Utz, INC Bartholomew County Toys for Tots Raffle. Click on DISCUSSION below the title. Links placed under individual posts that begin with www.zeffy.com will take you to where you can purchase the tickets.
