One of the local staples of the holidays — the Lynchburg Lions Club Candy Sale — gets underway later this week and club member Jim Faust said it is more important than ever.
“It’s our largest fundraiser. We usually do a lot of other fundraisers like our monthly Saturday breakfasts, our car show and things like that, but we’ve been having to cancel several of those since spring because of the virus,” Faust said. “So it’s double critical that we have a good candy sale this year.”
More than 25 charitable organizations benefit from the candy sale, and most of them are local groups, according to Faust.
“What we’ve tried to do is keep a lot of that money local because most of our customers are local,” he said.
The sale gets underway Friday, Nov. 20 at three Highland County locations — Southern Hills Community Bank and the Hamilton Insurance Agency in Lynchburg, and Downtown Drug at 111 S. High St. in Hillsboro — and runs through December.
Candy will be will available during the stores’ regular business hours. However, Downtown Drug has a drive through window so purchases can be made without having to enter the store, Faust said.
Twenty-eight different varieties of candy will be on sale at each location. All candy is packaged in sealed bags for safe handling. For information about special group and large quantity purchases at reduced prices, call 937-288-2235 or 937-364-6101.
Faust said extra care is being taken this year with those handling the candy wearing masks and gloves and social distancing. He also said that if candy is purchased in large enough quantities, it will come in cases that are given directly to the customer.
The now disbanded Hillsboro Lions Club ran a candy sale in Hillsboro for about three decades, but the Lynchburg Lions Club was asked to fill the void after the former Hillsboro club held its last meeting in November of 2018.
A year ago, the Lynchburg Lions Club used proceeds from the candy sale to make donations to: 4-H, FFA, Junior Fair, Highland County Habitat for Humanity, food pantries, eye research, pilot dogs, Lions International disaster relief, Canine Companions, Lions Foundation for various pieces of equipment for the blind, the Lions Quest educational training program, KAMP Dovetail, Ohio disaster relief assistance, new eyeglasses for needy children, diabetes research, Central Ohio Lions Eye Bank and Cornea transplant service, the GOOD program for fifth-graders at Lynchburg-Clay Elementary School that promotes character and personal development, the Peace Poster Contest for all sixth-graders, used eyeglasses for the needy all over the world, measles vaccinations for thousands of persons worldwide, the Ohio School for the Blind Band, pediatric cancer research, sight and hearing development, Personal Energy Transportation (PET) machines for handicapped, donations to needy families in the local area including donations to special benefits programs, Redi-Fest and other local support programs for the schools, the Lynchburg-Clay Athletic Boosters, and other donations as needed throughout the year.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
