CityView Magazine

giving Caring Fare A fundraiser for The CARE Clinic treats guests to fine food in local residents' homes F BY REBEKAH SANDERLIN or 15 years Fayettevillians have gathered in each other's homes to eat, drink, laugh and raise mon- ey for the CARE Clinic, one of the city's most beloved charities. Called An Evening of CARE, the annual din- ner is held in February and is the CARE Clinic's largest fun- draiser. Last year's dinner raised $55,000 for the Clinic and planners hope this year's event will bring in even more. "The committee started planning this year's dinner as soon as last year's was finished," said Anne Gregory, the co- chair for this year's Evening of CARE. "We have a lot of com- mittees and subcommittees. It's amazing how well-oiled all of this comes together." The CARE Clinic, which stands for Compassion, Assis- tance, Referral and Education, provides medical and den- tal care for uninsured, low income residents of Cumberland County. All medical and dental services are provided at the CARE Clinic by healthcare professionals who donate their time. Patients are not charged for the services, but do have an opportunity to make a donation to the Clinic, said Gloria Wil- liams, the special projects coordinator for the CARE Clinic. Patients must call for an appointment and the clinics are held every Tuesday and Thursday evening and on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Walk in patients are not permitted and children are not treated at the CARE Clinic, Williams 34 | January/February • 2012 said, because children can receive treatment at the Cumber- land County Health Department. This year 42 homes will serve as site hosts for the Evening of CARE, a record for the event. In years past the number of participating homes has hovered around 25, Williams said. Hosts volunteer to participate and then diners sign up to eat in the home of a particular host. The hosts decide between serving a formal or an informal meal, based on the type of event they'd like to have, and guests each pay $75 a person to attend. The ticket price is the same for formal and infor- mal meals, Williams said. The hosts agree to provide hors- d'oeuvres and beverages for their guests and the CARE Clinic provides the main course and dessert, which are prepared by Dorothy McEachern of Dorothy's Catering. This year's menu includes lasagna as a main dish for the informal meals and Lemon Oregano Chicken as the main dish for the formal meals. "Some homes serve on formal china and silver and others are more casual," Gregory said. "Some have table service and others serve food buffet style. It's one of the premier social events of Fayetteville. Many of the people who volunteer their homes have exquisite homes." Williams said that the Clinic has become very flexible with how the Evening of Care meals are offered by the individual

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