14 UCW APRIL 11-17, 2018
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
On Thursday, April 26, Cape Fear
Botanical Garden will be the site of
the 18th Annual Toast of the Town
Wine & Beer Tasting and Silent Auc-
tion. All proceeds from the event will
benefit The CARE Clinic, a free clinic
that offers health care services to
uninsured, lower-income adults.
Even though The CARE Clinic is
located in Fayetteville, the staff at
the clinic are proud that their service
area extends much further. Accord-
ing to Cynthia Spears, the develop-
ment and marketing director for the
clinic, "We offer services to people
all over Cumberland County and the
surrounding areas."
Those services include access to
doctors and other medical profes-
sionals who all volunteer their time
to work with the clinic. According to
Spears, The CARE Clinic utilizes the
services of some 500 volunteers at
any given time.
In spite of the large sum of volun-
teer workers, The CARE Clinic still
accrues operating costs of around
$44,000 per month. This money is
spent on day-to-day operations like
paying the phone, electricity and
water bills as well as keeping the in-
house pharmacy well-stocked.
"We like to emphasize that we
receive no government assistance,"
said Spears. "We rely on fundraisers
and grants."
The upcoming Toast of the Town
is one such fundraiser. For the cost
of one $50 ticket, attendees will be
able to sample wine from Mutual
Distributing as well as beer from
three local breweries – Mash House,
Dirtbag Ales and Bright Light Brew-
ing Company.
Additionally, Anstead's Tobacco
Company will have a selection of
cigars available for purchase, and
Bedlam Vodka will also be on hand.
Catering will be provided by Pierro's
Italian Bistro, and the soundtrack for
the evening will be courtesy the DJs
from Five Star Entertainment.
The Toast of the Town also features
a silent auction with big-ticket items,
including trips to New Orleans, Mali,
Italy or an Alaskan cruise.
"We also have several other small-
er-ticket items as well," said Spears.
"There will be a variety of items for
people to bid on, including several
themed packages or baskets."
All of the proceeds from the silent
auction and ticket sales will directly
go toward funding The CARE Clinic
and ensuring that low-income adults
in the area have the vital health care
they need.
For more information on The
CARE Clinic, visit w w w.thecareclin-
ic.org. For specific questions con-
cerning the services offered by the
clinic or for information on donat-
ing, The Care Clinic can be reached
by phone at 910-485-0555 or by email
at care@thecareclinic.org.
The 18th Annual Toast of the Town
fundraiser is scheduled for Thurs-
day, April 26, at Cape Fear Botani-
cal Garden and will run 6-8:30 p.m.
Advanced tickets cost $50 and can
be purchased at w w w.mkt.com/
the-care-clinic. Tickets can also be
purchased at the door for $55.
CARE Clinic's Toast of the Town
by SHANE WILSON
EVENTS
The CARE Clinic's Toast of the Town takes place at Cape Fear Botanical Garden on
April 26. Photo by Kelsey Knight on Unsplash.
SHANE WILSON, Contribut-
ing Writer. COMMENTS? Edi-
tor@upandcomingweekly.com.
910-484-6200.
