rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com
TOWANDA — Child Hunger Outreach Partners, also known as CHOP is currently doing a purse bingo to help raise money.
“I got the idea from purse bingos that I see organizations do. Our service area is so large, and I wanted to be able to include everyone, so we went with a virtual model. Now, I have people from all over the country participating!” said Dani Ruhf, Executive Director/Founder.
Tickets are 2 for $25 and donors may purchase as many as they would like. All proceeds stay local.
“The majority of our funding comes from grants at this point, but we use the purse lotto money to fill in the gaps or to run programs that pop up, or to bring on new schools quickly before funding has been established. We can feed a child for a month for $5 so every purse lotto ticket equates to five children,” said Ruhf.
So far, the group has reached almost $4,000 of their 2022 $10,000 goal.
CHOP services nine Pennsylvania counties and one in Maryland. They feed about 15,000 children a week, 5,000 of them in Bradford County.
Live drawings begin Feb. 1 and are held daily all month long. Non-local winners will have their purse shipped to them.
To look at the purses, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/1481322775335020. Winners will be posted nightly in the group.
To purchase tickets for the event, go to http://www.chopouthunger.org/take-action/purse-lotto.
A general link for donations can be found in the photo provided with this article. Just scan the photo using your phone.
Mission statement
Child Hunger Outreach Partners’ (CHOP) mission is to end childhood hunger in the United States and create an entire generation that doesn’t know hunger.
CHOP humbly began serving 45 middle school students in Towanda, PA after the founder’s daughter shared on her first day of middle school, that if students did not have lunch money, they simply didn’t eat. She begged her mother to do something. After hearing the shocking news, Dani knew in addition to a nutritious meal, these children also needed an advocate. So, she went to work.
Since 2018, CHOP has grown to serve tens of thousands of students weekly in Maryland and Pennsylvania. As we move closer to meeting our mission of ending childhood hunger, we continue to build partnerships across the country and continue to launch program branches in each state.
For more information on Child Hunger Outreach Partners or volunteering, go to www.chopouthunger.org and check them out on Facebook for upcoming events and the purse bingo.