The Portarlington Golf Club began its Community Raffle series on Friday and Food Assist 3223 was the big winner.
Amazing generosity by patrons of the club resulted in $1480 being raised for the critically important food-based charity that’s vital to so many people in and around Portarlington.
“We were blown away by how generous everyone was and we’re extremely excited to put this money to great use in our community,” Food Assist 3223 president Prue Drever said.
“We’re also very grateful that the Portarlington Golf Club generated and co-ordinated the event on a busy Friday night for the team up there.
“The club has already helped us immensely in the past couple of years, so for Michael (Phillips) and his team to offer even more assistance is just really impressive.”
Drever estimated the money raised would help provide the equivalent of more than 150 meals for those in need.
“We can’t overstate how important that is for the people who visit us weekly. I’m just blown away that people can be so generous.”
Chief executive Phillips said the golf club intends to hold its Community Raffle each Friday evening through until at least the Christmas holidays.
“We have a lot of things happening around the club on Friday night with live music, happy hours and our member draws, but we’ve introduced a spinning wheel and now the Community Raffle to add extra layers,” he said.
“Having so many people here for a variety of reasons is a great way to highlight important groups and clubs, such as Food Assist 3223, to a larger audience.
“We’re delighted that our members and guests were so responsive to such a great cause.”
The golf club’s partnerships with several generous local businesses made the evening possible, with Bellarine Country Butcher, White Fisheries, Zero’s Garage, Cellarbration, PFD and Port Phillip Ferries each donating to provide raffle prizes.
Other groups will share the Friday night stage in coming weeks with those expected to participate including several sporting clubs and the Portarlington Primary School.
