Haddock Dinner to support Seminarians of the Portland Diocese

04/12/2019

Council: 10020 - No. WINDHAM

Project Description:

Currently there are less than 70 priests serving the entire state of Maine, including Missionary Priests and retired priests who are helping despite there many years of service. It will be two years before we ordain our next new priest. We are blessed to have eight men in the seminaries studying for service to the Portland Diocese. The diocese helps with their tuition, however the seminarians have to rely on friends, family and all of us for expenses like laptops, daily living needs, study supplies and more. Our Knights council supports through prayers and donations.

Our Council efforts to run the fundraising dinner began a month before the dinner with several brother Knights creating publicity for the event by sending announcements to local papers about the event, posting the event on parish sighs, printing and stuffing flyers into the parish bulletin a week before the event, and talking up the event in the community. Other brother Knights announced the event at masses and encouraged parishioners to attend post mass on the day of the event.

On brother Knight took responsibility for shopping for much of the food, another brother Knight ordered the Haddock and arranged for its delivery, another brother Knight and spouse made the special sauce for the coleslaw. Multiple brother Knights and their spouses made or bought over 150 desert servings. The full dinner consisted of baked haddock, mashed potatoes, carrots, coleslaw, rolls, butter, coffee, tea, punch, deserts, and pizza for the few that do not eat fish.

On the morning of the event, 13 brother knights and three spouses set up the hall, moving the movable walls, setting up the tables and chairs, place mats, centerpieces, napkins, silverware. All dishes and silverware were pre washed. Potatoes and carrots were peeled and cut up. Fish were rinsed, cut and weighed into meal portions, salted, peppered, and buttered. On the afternoon of the event, 23 brother Knights, spouses, and family members arrived to prepare and cook the meal, and set up the desert table. Knights and volunteers dished out the food while other carried trays of food to the tables and served the 94 guests. Over 94 meals were sold, about 120 served. A 50/50 raffle was also held. From this event, $500 was sent to seminarians.