Annual Potter’s Bowl will raise funds for local caregivers

Toni Milbourne/ Chronicle file Good Shepherd Caregivers will host its annual Potter’s Bowl fundraiser next Friday at the fire hall.
Good Shepherd Caregivers will host its annual Potter’s Bowl event next Friday. The event allows guests to choose a handcrafted soup bowl and enjoy soups, bread, beverages and dessert. All food at the event is donated by area restaurants: Potters donate bowls and mugs, restaurants donate soups, Panera Bread provides breads and pastries and the Shepherdstown Sweet Shoppe provides cakes.
The Potter’s Bowl event has become an annual tradition that continues to raise significant funds for the organization.
“Donors of these beautiful creations give joyfully, stating that they are happy to donate to Good Shepherd Caregivers,” said CEO Paula Marrone-Reese. “As we are thanking donors for their generosity, they are thanking us for serving our neighbors in need.”
Good Shepherd is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization founded in 1990 by a small coalition of churches, individuals and the Shepherdstown Rotary, and provides informal, volunteer caregiving to home-based aging or disabled Jefferson County residents of all ages.
Marrone-Reese gave an example of how Good Shepherd volunteers assist the community: A middle age mother needs wheelchair assistance and has been left without transportation while her husband works as a truck driver, Marrone-Reese said. Her son works hard to care for his wife and young baby. Good Shepherd’s volunteers assist this client with trips to the grocery store and necessary medical appointments. Her family is able to work and make a living, knowing that their loved one has support from Good Shepherd Caregivers.
Along with the meal, attendees can take part in both a live and a silent auction. The potters’ work, along with the auction items donated by area businesses and artists, are intended to provide something of interest to everyone at the event.
The event benefits Good Shepherd’s free services, as well as the nonprofit’s volunteers’ neighborly acts of kindness. Funds for GSIVC are generated only through donations and holding fundraising events. The only way these services will continue to benefit local residents is through the community’s help.
Currently, transportation to dialysis, medical and non-medical appointments, medical equipment lending, home repairs and maintenance are the greatest needs fulfilled by Good Shepherd’s volunteers, according to Marrone-Reese. Good Shepherd helps vulnerable residents to maintain independence and live healthier lives.
According to Marrone-Reese, Good Shepherd volunteers also accompany an elderly resident to her weekly dialysis treatments for end-stage renal failure. A volunteer picks her up from her home and takes her to the treatment center. Afterward, another one picks her up four hours later. She receives these treatments three times each week, even on holidays and weekends. Public transportation isn’t available to her, so volunteer support is a lifesaver.
In another case, a local family adopted a five-year-old child who’s unable to walk due to a developmental delay. This family can’t afford necessary medical equipment to aid in the child’s mobility. Good Shepherd gave them the medical equipement through its lending program, free of charge, which has immensely improved the child’s and the family’s qualities of life.
Anyone interested can show support by attending the Potter’s Bowl. For ticket information, call 304-876-3325 or visit www.gsivc.org. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at the Shepherdstown Fire Hall. The event costs $30 for adults and $5 for children through 12 years old.