Point of View: Food pantry grateful for support during ‘Every Which Way Rhubarb’ fundraiser
Published 10:30 pm Wednesday, August 13, 2025
On behalf of the Homer Community Food Pantry and Grace Ridge Brewery, we’d like to thank everyone for their generous support of our recent Every Which Way Rhubarb auction fundraiser for HCFP. Everyone who participated had such a great time as they wielded their rhubarb scepters, raising them proudly, while placing their bids! Zoe Story did a fabulous job as the auctioneer, while Deb Schmidt was her Vanna! Folks attending were in the mood to bid, as long as their purchase came with some form of rhubarb, such as rhubarb chutney, rhubarb bbq sauce, rhubarb jams, wines and desserts galore!
Businesses we’d like to thank for bay trips and charters are North Country Charters, Maverick Charters and Bay Excursions. Local galleries who donated etched wine glasses, pottery, pictures and clothing were The Art Shop, Bunnell and Fireweed. Shops who contributed with gift cards and in numerous ways were The Classic Cook, North Wind, Ulmers, Nomar, Zen Den Cafe, the Homer Bookstore, Mike’s Eatery, Salmon Sisters, 59 North Country, Alexandro’s, Pica Pica, Dulce Lucca, Sweet Gale Meadworks and Cider House, and Bear Creek Winery.
Restaurants and bakeries supplying their delicious rhubarb pies, breads and pastries were Two Sisters, City Bear Breads and Red Bird. We had tumblers and coffee cup donations as well as coffee from The Coffee Smith and Fika! Nothing like rhubarb crunch muffins, rhubarb crisps or an upside down cake with a fresh brewed cup of coffee to start your day off! If coffee is not your java, how about a Soda Stream with some healthy rhubarb simple syrup, thanks to Bette Seaman. For your evening sipping pleasure, Kathy Robinson furnished a basket of rhubarb simple syrup with champagne. Cheers to that!
Two massages were a popular item from Kristen’s Massage Therapy and Great Tao Massage, complete with a bottle of strawberry rhubarb wine to follow! A few of the B&B’s around town will have a nice conversation piece as they display an original Salmon Stock, Keep it Wild, print from 2011 and 2012 from Mavis Mueller’s collection. Dan Coe offered an original ocean scene picture, while we also had an original Don Kostad watercolor. One person purchased a lovely Anita Raskin pansy drawing and garden poem. For those always young at heart and an adventurous spirit we had an artisan Renaissance bag filled with 2 tickets to the upcoming Renaissance Fair and many gems included, thanks to Sage Anderson.
We had a myriad of fish from Coal Point, with their generous cod and halibut donations and Sandy Early and Dale Barwick came through with some yummy salmon fillets and white fish. Imagine cooking those with an apricot rhubarb jam or chutney! On top of that, you could get some fresh oysters from Kachemak Bay Oyster Co. or make yourself some fish sushi with a beautiful ramen bowl by April Skorski. What a great catch! Just in case fish wasn’t your fillet of choice, Kary Brinson donated a beautiful pork loin, which was highly sought after! Sorry Zoe, but someone outbid you! She also donated two beef flank steaks that would be delicious with rhubarb bbq sauce! Enjoy your beefy feast with your folks Zoe and thank them.
There was a cornucopia of donations from shops on the spit. Alaska Hands gave us the tools to carve your fish with an ulu, Diamond knife and a sharpener! We had a Bear Creek hoodie, Alaskan Leather Co. bag and a beanie to wear on the beach, accompanied by a nice glass of rhubarb wine and a delicious assortment of jams. Donations from Diamond Street Art Studio as well as gift certificates from Salty Girls and Homer Shores were also popular items.
Last, but certainly not least were all those people who provided the rhubarb crisps, breads, muffins, pies, desserts, jams, bbq sauce and rhubarb gift assortments. Thank you Jessica Shepard, Alyssa Veldkamp, Cinda Martin provided several creative rhubarb packages, Maria SantaLucia, Jean Avenshire, Irene Robinson, Karen Nogle, Wendall Cummings, Karen Murdock, Susan Houlihan, Ethan Smith, Lynn Maslow and anyone else who I’m sure I missed! A special thanks to Wayne Aderhold for setting up the sound system, Hal Smith, Wendall Cummings, Karen Nogle, Pat Moreth, and Zoe Story, for helping on the night of the event! I so appreciate Susan McLane and Sage Anderson for helping collect the auction items as well as their donations. A huge THANK YOU to Sherry Stead for coming up with the Every Which Way Rhubarb event, contributing and hosting it at Grace Ridge Brewery. What started as a fun rhubarb bake sale turned into quite the Rhubarb Rendezvous, raising $5,700 for our Homer Community Food Pantry! It was a spectacular evening thanks to everyone who participated! A great group of participants donating to a great cause!
Deb Schmidt is a Homer Community Food Pantry board member.
