PRESENTED BY WELLS FARGO AND THE AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION
AUGUST 9, 2014
Poverello’s “Bowling to Fight Hunger,” presented by Wells Fargo and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), is one of South Florida’s longest continuous fundraising event benefiting the local community affected by HIV/AIDS. This fundraiser celebrates its 24th year and will be held for the fourth straight year at Sawgrass Lanes (8501 N. University Dr., Tamarac). The first frame will be bowled shortly after the event starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 9, and the fun will go on until 3 p.m.
Father William Collins started Poverello in 1988, after he saw that many HIV/AIDS patients in South Florida were being discharged from the hospital with no thought given to their welfare or aftercare. Their official stated mission is “to provide life-saving food and basic living essentials with the highest degree of understanding, respect and love for individuals living with HIV Spectrum Disease, who are residents of Broward County and meet the specified qualifications for services.”
Poverello operates one of the largest special needs food pantries in South Florida, and one of the few “consumer choice” food pantries in the country. What that means is that after a consultation, food pantry customers are allowed to select the items they would like to use or consume, as if they were in a grocery store setting. Poverello’s food pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, at 2056 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors.
Over $1 million in charitable donations have been raised to aid Poverello’s mission from the “Bowling to Fight Hunger” annual events alone. Last year, participants raised nearly $50,000 through donations online.
If you’re interested in participating in this fundraiser and you want to ensure the people affected by HIV/AIDS in Broward County are well-fed, here’s how you can do your part:
You can register to become a bowler by going to poverello.org/portal/event-information. You can sign up as an individual or compete as a team (maximum of five bowlers per team). If you want to compete on a team but are coming alone, organizers can find a team that you’ll love bowling with.
If you can’t be there in person, you can register as a virtual bowler and solicit donations online, or you can simply make a general donation; both options are available online at the event portal. To set up an online fundraiser profile, click “online fundraisers” after registering. As of press time, over $33,000 has been raised by bowlers and other donors.
Other ways to support “Bowling to Fight Hunger” include donating raffle prizes or silent auction prizes, volunteering on the day of the event, pledging to match funds raised in a team’s online fundraiser, or becoming a corporate sponsor of the event (sponsorship levels range from $375 to $5000).
Hotspots Media Group is proud to be a sponsor of Poverello’s 24th annual Bowling to Fight Hunger fundraising event. Other sponsors, in addition to presenters Wells Fargo and AHF, include City County Credit Union, Broward Health, Commcare Specialty Pharmacy, BankUnited, Maximus 3000, the South Florida Gay News, Real Living, Village Pub, OutClique, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Fast Printz, Metro Media Works, Arrigo FIAT Sawgrass, and Promotional Breezes.
For more information about Poverello, you can call their main office at (954) 561-3663, e-mail at info@poverello.org, or visit their website at poverello.org. If you’re interested in registration or sponsorship of the “Bowling to Fight Hunger” event, call the main office and ask for Ron Wudarsky, Development Director; or Arlie Smith.
