POTTSTOWN PA – Forks up! The annual feast to benefit the Montgomery County Meals On Wheels program that is thrown by Shorty’s Sunflower Cafe, the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township restaurant known for its gourmet dishes, is under way.
Shorty's last year raised $14,346 for Meals On Wheels. This year's goal: $15,000.
The fund-raiser donates proceeds from several activities by owners and staff of the restaurant at 1494 N. Charlotte St., Pottstown PA, to the program operated by the non-profit county Family Services agency from its offices in Sanatoga. It began Monday (June 20, 2011) and continues through next Thursday (June 30).
“Our staff and customers always look forward to our annual Meals on Wheels fund-raiser,” said Liz Bieber, who with her husband George owns and operates Shorty’s. “By participating in this event, we have a chance to be more involved in our neighborhood, help those most in need, and do what we do best: feed the community.”
Shorty’s opened in Gilbertsville in 1996 and then moved to Pottstown 11 years ago. It gets high marks from many national restaurant and dining guides for its breakfast and lunch menus. Last year’s event collected $14,346 for Meals On Wheels; the goal this year is $15,000 … or more, hopes Family Services’ Marketing Director Karen Konnick, if the public is hungry enough.
Meals On Wheels, Konnick noted, “has a long history of ensuring the nutritional well-being of elderly individuals, and has helped many seniors lead happy, healthy and independent lives.”
Each weekday it provides two meals – a hot lunch, and a cold supper to refrigerate – to an average of 160 home-bound elderly and disabled individuals in Pottstown, Royersford, and the Lower Perkiomen Valley. Community volunteers personally deliver more than 81,000 meals a year. Beyond the obvious nourishment, though, drivers also offer friendship, a kind word, and a quick status check to their recipients.
Family Services’ is headquartered in Eagleville PA, but its offices at 1976 E. High St., Pottstown, is home to the meals program. For more information on it or the agency, call 610-326-1610.
For this year’s fund-raiser, Shorty’s staff will sell tickets to raffle off prizes that include a variety of gift baskets, art work, and gift certificates to local businesses. Customers can buy a single ticket for $2, three tickets for $5, or an arm’s length of tickets for $20.
The café also sold advertising space on T-shirts being worn by its staff for $100 each. The shirts are rotated regularly throughout the week, so sponsors’ ads are seen by a variety of patrons. And, of course, donations to the meals program are gratefully accepted too.
As usual at Shorty’s, there’s little rest for the weary. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s first-come, first-served (they’ll take your name for a waiting list at the door, if necessary) and it’s also a cash-only business, so go appropriately prepared.
Related (to the Meals On Wheels Program):
Photo from Shorty’s Sunflower Cafe
