‘Land Sea Air’ event in April to benefit CCMI
The inaugural “Land Sea Air” event, a fundraiser to support Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc., will be held on Saturday, April 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva.
Guests will choose their method of arrival by land, sea or air and enjoy cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, entertainment including cirque du soleil-type performers and a silent auction.
“The fun will be in watching how creative our friends and neighbors are in their choice of arrival to this event,” said event chair Harry Silverglide. “The South Seas Island Resort team is pulling out all the stops in what is sure to be a signature event to raise funds that will make a real difference for those in need in our area.”
Ticket prices begin at $500 per couple and depend upon the type of arrival method chosen by guests, including a sea plane, helicopter, fire truck, chartered boats, personal watercraft, limousine, parasail, kayak, golf cart, celebrity chauffeur and more. According to organizers, the event will be capped at 100 couples.
All funds raised will benefit Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc. CCMI provides more than 14,000 meals each month through their Soup Kitchen and Meals on Wheels programs. The non-profit agency also educates 40 children in their Community Montessori Preschool, provides weekend backpacks full of food to more than 2,500 children each school year and oversees a mobile food pantry and everyday choice marketplace.
“You cannot ignore the daily headlines about how our Lee County neighbors are struggling,” Silverglide said. “As many as 97 percent of some school children are on free or reduced lunch and over 700 children are homeless. These numbers are growing and we cannot sit back and do nothing.”
“The monies raised will enable us to help our community and also develop new and innovative ways to fight hunger and homelessness,” added Sarah Owen, CEO of CCMI.
According to Owen this includes opening Southwest Florida’s first customer centered Choice Marketplace, establishing Baby U, beginning work on transforming the Soup Kitchen into a community café, serving more schools through CCMI’s Mobile Food Pantry, establishing new marketplaces and community cafés and adding more schools and students to its weekend backpack program.
CCMI’s Everyday Café and Marketplace concept makes food more easily available to everyone in the community who is hungry. The market model also decreases the stigma associated with standing in line for a hot meal or groceries and reduces significant waste in the preselected grocery bag model.
CCMI works in partnership with the United Way, Harry Chapin Food Bank and various community foundations as well as collaborating with fellow community and national service groups including The Salvation Army, Goodwill, Goodwheels, Wake up America, The School District of Lee County and numerous churches, businesses and community support organizations.
Tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities are available from $1,000 to $20,000. For more information or tickets call 239-277-3168.