By Amanda Boston
Attention ladies and little ladies—you are cordially invited to a Ladies Tea and Fashion Show presented by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The annual food pantry fundraiser will be held on Saturday, September 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Family Life Center of St. Stephen Catholic Church.
Tea attendees can sip on tasty teas and dine on homemade sandwiches, scones and desserts while supporting a worthy cause. Ladies will design and decorate headbands and then parade around modeling their creations. The women’s clothing store Dress Barn will also add to the entertainment with a fashion show.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a nonprofit Catholic organization inspired by gospel values and operated by volunteers. The organization is divided up into ‘Conferences’ throughout the world and is typically based out of a church, school, hospital or community center. The mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to serve those in need and promote spiritual growth for the men and women who serve.
The St. Stephen Catholic Parish in Riverview hosts a local conference offering assistance to those in need through a food pantry and financial assistance. Kathie Huff is the president of the food pantry and said, “We are grateful to the ladies who organize this tasty fundraiser for our ministry. Each month, we assist about 140 families with food and spend about $3000 to pay rent and utilities and make food purchases.”
The Tea and Fashion Fundraiser is the only fundraiser for the food pantry, and most of the funds are contributed through generous parishioners. However, due to the parish’s recent expansion, Huff is thrilled to open up the Tea to more ladies in the community.
The event needs volunteers to host a table of eight, which will include decorating a themed table with personal dishes or with fanciful paper products. Ladies can invite friends to their table or join the fun at someone else’s table. The cost is only $16 per person with all the proceeds going toward the St. Vincent de Paul Ministry.
For information or reservations, please contact Arlene at 284-5884 or arstein@outlook.com. For information on the St. Stephen conference and food pantry, email svdp@ststephencatholic.org.
