Vendor show to support Harvest Bounty program

Saturday’s annual craft and vendor show helps to keep the shelves stocked for the program that benefits children in the Charleroi Area School District.

Each weekend, hundreds of Charleroi Area School District students head home with bags of food to help get them through until Monday.

The program that makes that possible — Harvest Bounty — will hold its largest annual fundraiser Saturday with a craft and vendor show at the Charleroi Elementary Center.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will take over the entire elementary center, featuring more than 50 vendors, a concession stand and a large basket raffle.

Harvest Bounty began in 2015 when a small group of teachers recognized that some students did not have reliable access to food over the weekend. The first fundraiser was a spaghetti dinner held at the high school to help support a small group of students in need.

Over the years, the program has expanded significantly.

Today, about 320 students across the district receive food bags each week to take home for the weekend.

Program coordinator Becky Spiker, who also serves as librarian at the elementary center, said the need has grown steadily.

Last year about 240 students were receiving food each week, a number that has jumped this year.

Each week, students in life skills and autistic support classes at the middle and high school help pack the food bags. Life skills students at the elementary center then deliver the bags to homerooms where they are distributed to students to take home each Friday.

The bags contain kid-friendly items that are easy to prepare, including macaroni and cheese cups, ramen noodles, Chef Boyardee meals, fruit cups, cereal, shelf-stable yogurt and snack items.

“It’s a large effort,” Spiker said. “There’s no way we could do what we do without the support we get from the community.”

The craft and vendor show has become the program’s biggest annual fundraiser. The first vendor show was held in 2017 with about 40 vendors.

The event has been held every year since, except in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down events just a week before the show was scheduled. Organizers returned the following year with an outdoor event.

This year’s show has grown to include more than 50 vendors set up throughout the elementary center.

Spiker said vendor spaces filled quickly.

“We have grown a lot,” she said. “Which is nice considering how we started out all of those years ago.”

In addition to vendors offering a variety of goods, a concession stand will sell soup, nachos, walking tacos, hot dogs, pepperoni rolls and other refreshments.

A basket raffle featuring more than 90 items donated by vendors, businesses and community members will also be held.

The vendor show typically raises between $5,000 and $9,000 for the program each year.

While the fundraiser provides a significant boost, Harvest Bounty also relies on community contributions and smaller schoolbased fundraisers throughout the year, such as hat days or jeans days.

With food prices rising and the number of students increasing, organizers estimate the program could cost around $40,000 to operate this year.

Many donations come in the form of monetary gifts, which allows organizers to purchase items they need and buy food in bulk to help reduce costs.

Donations of money or nonperishable food items can be dropped off at the elementary center during the school day. Checks can be made payable to Charleroi School District with “Harvest Bounty” in the memo line.

Spiker said she originally became involved in the program as a volunteer before eventually taking over leadership when longtime organizer Kathy Franks retired.

“Kathy was a huge part of how this got started, and since she has retired a lot has changed, which is OK,” Spiker said. “Kathy was always a very religious person and always said God would take care of us. I can say we are well taken care of, which helps us take care of our kids.”

Vendors scheduled to participate include: 90 Below Treats, Adella’s Second Chances, Alexis’s Seasonal Decor, American Legion Post 22 Charleroi, Art by Em, Aunt Carol’s Gourmet Dips, Avon, Bitsey’s Bags, Bunkeyville Shed, Can It, Carletta Stitch All, Chloe and Me Candles, Christina’s Cakes, Color Street, Cotton Creations, Crafty Cannoli, Creative Sisters, Donna’s Dresses, Duck Hollow Krafts, Ekernally Yours, Emerald Sky and Company, Gia’s Krystal Gems, Hand Crafted Bottles by Mary, Jurassic Yarn, K and M Notary and Escapes, Kara’s Craften Dimensions LLC, LCR Creations LLC, Lots of Love Sweets, M & R chocolates, Mike Perry Jewelry, Mystery Merchants, Mumummum- n-Mini’s Crafts N’At, PA Amish Foods, Pampered Chef, Peace of Mind, REimagine Handmade, Rusty Hutch, Sandsational Specialities, Shabby Girl Bags, Small Batch Jelly and Jams, Stained Design Studio, Stephanie’s Creations, The Cookie Shoppe, The Crafty Cork LLC, The Hidden Loft, The Pine Cone Lady, The Pink Llama Bow-tique, Twisted Fitness and Woodworking by Mike.