Good health and good fare were the focus Friday at the Rural Health Initiative’s 11th annual Wine and Cheese Tasting fundraiser at the Main Event in Cecil.
The event raises about $15,000 annually for the organization.
RHI, a nonprofit organization that has served Shawano County since 2003, sends trained health professionals on “house calls” to farms. It was launched in 2003 by a group of 30 Shawano area residents with collaboration from ThedaCare.
“We bring our services to the kitchen table,” said Rhonda Strebel, executive director of the Rural Health Initiative in Shawano County. “We go to farm families out on the farm. They don’t always have the time to get in because of their work, whether it is in a clinic or hospital.”
Services provided by RHI include health screenings, including tests for cholesterol and diabetes, along with education materials, Strebel said.
Friday’s sold-out event featured 45 kinds of wine, 25 types of cheeses and seven different beers donated by Pigeon River Brewing. There were also 15 silent auction items along with 28 bucket raffles/prizes.
“They are all donated by people in our community,” Strebel said. “Everything is donated, 100 percent, before we even open the doors, and every dollar raised here tonight will go to the services of the farm families of Shawano County.”
Attendance was capped at 225 after the turnout last year crowded The Main Event facilities.
“Now people are able to move around more freely and have more of an opportunity to sample everything,” Strebel said.
RHI is also conducting a Facebook campaign to raise funds.
“We are trying to get 1,000 friends, and all we are asking for is $10 from each because agriculture is very important to us in Shawano County,” Strebel said.
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