Jenny Snodgrass with Kalibur's Candies and more.
In this September 2017 photo, vendors present a check to the Lewis County Animal Shelter.
A quarter may seem like a simple piece of pocket change, but to Helping Lewis County (HLC) Quarter Auction Events, it’s a vehicle for changing the community for the better.
Now in its sixth year, HLC Quarter Auctions started simply, said Kelly Engel, one of four people who organize the events. The concept came from a local woman named Kristine Hastings, who wanted to create something that was part networking for local home-based business people and also part charity fundraiser.
“She had this vision that she wanted to be able to help her community and at the same time get a bunch of people together to have fun,” Engel explained.
Today, that group is 78 members strong and they hold at least three or four quarter auctions each year at the Moose lodge in Centralia. In the last two years alone, the events have raised more than $3,000 for local non-profits. The next quarter auction is being held on March 16 with subsequent events for 2019 on May 18, July 20, Sept. 21 and Nov. 16. When Hastings moved away from the community three years ago, Engel said there was no doubt in her mind the events had to continue.
“I like being able to fundraise and support the community and I’m a people person so I like meeting all the different people that come to them,” Engel said.
Attendees to a quarter auction pay a $5 admission fee and are given a passport with spots for each of the vendors present at the event. Engel said they
attempt to have a minimum of eight vendors but sometimes have more, for instance the upcoming March 16 event will feature 14-15 vendors. After paying their admission and receiving their passport, attendees can visit each vendor booth and can purchase both goods and also raffle tickets for an item they are raffling. Vendors also bring food to share so attendees can enjoy some light appetizers. Raffle tickets typically cost $.25 each (hence the name quarter auction) but can sometimes cost $.50 each for higher valued items. If they get their entire passport book filled by buying tickets from every vendor, attendees get 10 tickets for a grand prize drawing but all attendees are entered in any drawing for which they purchase tickets. Drawings are held at the end of the evening.
Vendors are local people with home-based businesses, some, like Denise Obtinario of Chehalis, are consultants for national companies. Engel said some of the companies they have had represented include: Lularoe; Pampered Chef; Osborne Books; Scentsy; and Jamberry. Obtinario, a math teacher at Chehalis Middle School, has sold through Thirty-One for five years. She said she was first drawn to the company for its Christian values and products, but stayed because she enjoys meeting people. She was invited to join the vendor group at the quarter auctions about four years and said she immediately loved the experience.
“I’ve met so many people through quarter auctions and it’s a fun, pretty inexpensive event for my family,” she said, adding that her husband and daughter usually attend. “And I love playing games so it’s kind of like a game night.”
Other vendors, such as Jenny Snodgrass of Onalaska, are local people who have started their own home-based businesses. When she was pregnant with her son, Kalibur, 4, Snodgrass decided to start her own business making preserves, salsas, truffles and other treats from her home so she could afford to stay home and raise her son, who she is homeschooling. Originally called Kalibur’s Candy & More, Snodgrass today calls her business Truffle. Snodgrass said she met another quarter auction vendor at the Mossyrock Blueberry Festival shortly after starting her business and was encouraged to join the quarter auction team.
“I love it,” Snodgrass said. “It’s always fun. It’s good networking and it gives back to the community. That’s the best part.”
It is the charitable aspect of the events that motivates Joselynn Petrey, owner of Sewn Evergreen of Toledo, to keep coming back each time. Through her home-based business, Petrey sews aprons, blankets, clothing and more with an emphasis on being a zero-waste company, for instance using fabric scraps for stuffing in toys or piecing smaller pieces to create garments. Petrey began her business three years ago as a way to create and support her family and attended her first quarter auction in November 2018. She said she loves the concept because it allows local people to support locally-owned businesses as well as the larger community.
“One of my biggest things is anybody can complain about what’s wrong with society but not as many people work at being part of the change,” Petrey said. “For me, it’s all about community.”
At the moment, the quarter auctions have an all-female vendor group. Engel said while the majority of people attending the quarter auctions are female, she is noticing more and more men coming to them. She noted she is hoping to eventually find some vendors who sell items geared toward men to join the vendor group.
All vendors and event organizers are volunteering their time to be at the event so money for every admission and raffle ticket goes directly to the chosen beneficiary. This month’s quarter auction will benefit the Lewis County Animal Shelter. Engel explained that this year, the vendor group was actually asked to vote on ideas for beneficiaries for the events and the animal shelter was chosen. Other beneficiaries for the event have not yet been chosen. Obtinario noted that another thing she loves about the quarter auctions is hearing about the many organizations doing good in Lewis County.
“Because I’m not originally from here, it’s been an education of what’s here for me,” she said.
If You Go …
What: HLC Quarter Auction to support Lewis County Animal Shelter
When: 6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16
Where: Chehalis 1109 Moose Lodge, 1400 Grand Ave., Centralia
Cost: $5 entry fee and bring quarter for bidding. Raffle tickets are typically $.25 to $.50. All money raised goes to support the Lewis County Animal Shelter
Info: facebook.com/quarterauctionevents. For more information on joining the vendor group or submitting your non-profit as a potential beneficiary, contact suzyjd@outlook.com or call (360) 520-0744.
Our Interviewed Vendors:
Joselynn Petrey - Sewn Evergreen: handmade aprons, handbags, cloaks, baby blankets and more. www.facebook.com/sewnevergreen/(360) 864-6955
Jenny Snodgrass – Truffle Shuffle: handmade truffles, salsa, fudge, cake pops, jams and jellies and chocolate dipped strawberries. (360) 520-7032
Denise Obtinario – Thirty-One consultant: bags, handbags, home décor, personalized items. https://www.mythirtyone.com/thriftybags(360) 431-7760
