F.I.S.H. fundraiser draws crowd, collects food for needy
Dan Schuyler, who can usually be found wearing a nice watch and trendy shirt, spent most of last Saturday wearing a wet swimsuit.
And he couldn’t have been happier.
Schuyler, the co-owner of Lily & Co. Jewelers, along with several other local businesses, was helping to raise money, food and hope for the Friends In Service Here (FISH) non-profit agency.
With the support of other local businesses, Lily’s & Co. Jewelers hosted a community-wide picnic on July 18 to celebrate their three-year anniversary and help the needy at the same time. As part of the event, Schuyler and Sanibel Mayor Mick Denham allowed themselves to be repetitively dunked in a water-filled tank to help raise money.
The event raised approximately $1,600 from one-dollar raffle tickets and collected an estimated 1,000 pounds of food. People attending the event were asked to bring non-perishable items for F.I.S.H.
Festivities at the fundraiser included celebrity dunking – with several island notables including Denham, fellow Lily & Co. owner Karen Bell and Richard Johnson, manager of Bailey’s General Store – and Segway tours given by Billy’s Bike Rentals. Schnapper’s Hots gave away more than 300 of their famous hot dogs while Bailey’s donated about 350 ice treats as well as drinks. The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District gave demonstrations of their duties and plastic fire hats to the children.
Maggi Feiner, president of F.I.S.H., was elated and relieved at the site of the agency’s pantry.
“It is stocked,” said Feiner as she pointed to the open cabinets and refrigerator.
She also said that she is grateful for the support and generosity of the community.
Schuyler is happy the community responded so well to the fundraiser.
“it was just a phenomenal event,” he said.
George Schnapp, owner of Schapper’s Hots, wasn’t sure if he ever served that many hot dogs at one time.
“We were happy to do it,” he added.