THOMASVILLE – Terri Nelson said those who buy items during Fairgrove Family Resource Center’s annual auction this weekend will be helping the center at a time when needs are “critical.”

“It’s critical that we raise money,” said Nelson, executive director of the center. “We do have grant funding, but it doesn’t cover a lot of the things we need, such as paying our own power bill and that kind of thing. This helps us with our operations and programs.”

The auction, which is the center’s largest fundraiser of the year, is set for 5 p.m. Saturday inside the gym at Fair Grove Elementary School. The event, which raised $10,500 for the center last year, had been held at Central Recreation Center in Thomasville for several years.

Some of the items that will be auctioned include autographed Brian Vickers memorabilia, Bob Timberlake portraits and an autographed picture of Hannah Montana. The center also has received a donated four-wheeler from Old Dominion Freight Line.

And for the fourth consecutive year, the Shady Grove United Methodist Men has built an 8-foot-by-10-foot storage building, which usually is auctioned off for about $1,500.

“It’s made with quality materials, quality workmanship,” Nelson said of the storage building. “It’s made with a lot of love.”

Fairgrove Family Resource Center distributes more than 12,000 pounds of food monthly.

The center also has a backpack program, where 160 children in three elementary schools take food home in their bookbags for the weekend.

Funds from the auction also will help with the center’s “Gifts From The Heart” program. The program, offered to local families having financial difficulty, allows volunteers to adopt a child and provide them with toys and necessities, such as socks, shoes and clothes.

Nelson said the center still is taking donated items to be auctioned at the event. To make a donation, contact the center at 472-7217.

dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657

AT A Glance

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What: Fairgrove Family Resource Center’s sixth annual auction. All proceeds will benefit programs at Fairgrove Family Resource Center.

Where: Fair Grove Elementary School gym, 217 Cedar Lodge Road, Thomasville.

When: 5 p.m. Saturday