Toys for Tots raise needed funds at Porters
General manager Stephanie Rempe and the fantastic staff were part of the crew that hosted Porters Pub’s “Toys for Tots” donation drive and raffle on Saturday evening. The evening featured donations from many local businesses which were raffled off to a crowded room full of participants, all while enjoying the house special spaghetti and meatballs. A special note should be made that the meatballs, made by owner Bill Parris, were an absolute homerun. Proceeds from the dinner were donated directly to the Toys for Tots program, which provides toys to area children during the holidays.
The Spaghetti sales were donated directly to the Toys for Tots organization, which raises funds to provide toys at Christmas for those who need them. Regional coordinator for Southeast Idaho Toys for Tots Stephanie Bercier and her husband Simon operate out of Pocatello, but cover seven surrounding counties in their jurisdiction. The counties included in their Toys for Tots region are Bannock, Bingham, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power. Together with volunteers Jen Warner and Cezanne Allen, they managed the raffle events for the evening.
Hudsyn was hoping for a Stanley and Tate was hoping for a rifle.
“It’s been good. We have around the same number of families to cover, but donations in general are definitely down,” Stephanie Bercier said. “Events like this are very important.”
Last year was the first year that Bercier, and her husband Simon were in charge of the process. In that time, they’ve spent a lot of time organizing and collecting items for Christmas. “We’re there from 8 in the morning until midnight, a lot of times,” Annette Linford said.
Due to a number of factors, the somewhat uncertain state of the economy being one, and higher unemployment being another, “donations are down everywhere right now, and the emotion of the applicants is a lot higher than last year,” Simon said.
Despite the tense climate, the Berciers have found that there are still many people willing to give, especially for the Christmas season.
“The response from the community is overwhelming for us,” Stephanie said.
Porter’s is part of that response, as it has been in the past. “It’s a great thing, and we love to do it,” Stephanie Rempe said.
Stephanie Rempe, Nissel Baker, Paula Beach, Missy Bexell, abnd Tammy Murphy.
Among the many donors who also stepped up were Bill Mullen and Minor Thompson, Tshasha Harding and Destiny Harding, Lallatin’s Food Town, Broulims Grocery Store, Ace Hardware, Main Street Diner, Stockman’s Bar, The Flower Box, Jerry Giles, Bailey Creek HOA, Caribou Ford and Liberty Jeep, Karly’s Kuts, Wicked Brew, Vortex via Dave’s Tackle & Sports, American Built, Git It Developed 3-D Printing, as well as individual donors who gave directly to the Porter’s donation box.
Raffle tickets were sold at the $1 and $5 level. While a total from the evening was not available as of press time, the event was busy, and donors were generous. Thanks goes to everyone in a generous community who donated to a worthy cause. Porters is open throughout the week except Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 11 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. the rest of the week. While the meatballs were a rare treat, the regular menu is also amazing.
Simon Bercier, Stephanie Bercier, Cezanne Allen, Jen Warner, Annette Linford.
