An annual event that benefits the hungry will feature fashion, pampering and chocolate, along with several community vendors, Nov. 19.
Community Cooperative Ministries’ fourth annual Becoming Cosmopolitan event will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the Veranda Restaurant in downtown Fort Myers.
Sarah Owen, executive director of CCMI, said the annual event tries to engage women in the community through a fun evening.
“They have been successful because it is a great way for a group of women to get together and really become change agents in the community,” she said. “We have women that come every year, but what is exciting is that each year women bring new friends and the number of women that come grows every year.”
Last year the event raised more than $38,000 for CCMI with more than 200 women in attendance.
“Women of all ages will enjoy this social event of the season featuring delicious delicacies, tasty cocktails, fun giveaways, unique vendors and an ultra chic live auction — all to benefit our local community,” said event chairwoman Deanna Hansen in a prepared statement. “This is a great way to kick off the holidays and get in the spirit of giving by helping this valuable organization provide services to our local neighbors who need assistance feeding themselves and their families.”
Host Mandy Connell of WINK 1240 AM radio will be the evening’s celebrity hostess and “world’s worst auctioneer.” Santa will appear to pass out “Naughty” and “Nice” stickers and gifts.
Attendees will receive a Gentleman Caller Card with each paid ticket, allowing them a free entrance at 8:30 p.m. for a male friend or significant other.
Some of the live and silent auction items offered at the event include deluxe spa packages, girlfriend getaways, hotel stays, jewelry, beauty treatments, sporting events, artwork and dining packages.
Individuals may still donate items for the live and silent auctions.
Some of the vendors include: The Veranda Restaurant; Chico’s, Oswald Trippe and Company Inc.; Ohio National Financial Services; Deanna and Wesley Hansen; Grandeur Magazine; Florida Weekly; Irresistible Confections; Michael K. Kim, M.D.; Saks Fifth Avenue; DofG Design; and TKW Consulting Engineers.
Sponsorships are still available, and they range from $1,000 to $10,000.
“We’re so thrilled to have the generous support of so many charitable businesses in our local community,” Owen said in a prepared statement. “Through the sponsors who have committed to our social soiree, we can offer ladies of all ages glamorous shopping, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, exotic cocktails, giveaway and an ultra-trendy live auction — all to benefit the hungry in our own backyard.”
Tickets for the event are available online at: www.CCMILeeCounty.com/Cosmo for $100 or by calling 332-7687. The first 100 online registrants will receive a special invitation to the Saks Fifth Avenue VIP party with fashion giveaways.
CCMI is an umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, the Montessori Preschool of Dunbar and Family and Homeless Services. It provides services for Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres.
The organization also prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry. In addition, CCMI offers a food pantry, which provides emergency groceries for families in need.
Two nutritious meals a day are provided for the children in its Montessori Preschool, and CCMI oversees a backpack program for local students who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.
According to a prepared statement from CCMI, the $100 cost to attend the event “provides one month of Montessori Preschool Education to a child of a working poor family, three months of emergency food to a family of four who is struggling, a Parent Training Scholarship to a single mother who wants to learn how to read to her child and one month of hot meals to a family living in their car.”
Owen said the money raised during the event will go directly toward feeding families in Lee County, adding that the money goes toward funding the weekend backpack program for children who need food.
The Veranda Restaurant is located at 2122 Second St., in Fort Myers.