Hospice & Community Care’s annual Labor Day Auction, which provides an opportunity to support patients and families coping with a life-limiting illness, is being held virtually this year from September 1 to 15. Livestreams and new items to bid on will be added throughout the auction and updated on the website, LaborDayAuction.org. A new addition this year is a 50/50 cash raffle.

With the move to a virtual auction, the Amish community is hosting an independent drive-thru food sale on September 7, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until the food runs out. Proceeds will be donated to Hospice & Community Care. Food pre-orders are being accepted online through September 1 at Food.LaborDayAuction.org, with pick up at Intercourse Fire Company, located at 10 Hollander Road, in Intercourse, or Hospice & Community Care, located at 685 Good Drive, in Lancaster.

New items and quilt donations are being accepted by appointment only at Hospice & Community Care, 685 Good Drive, in Lancaster. Used donations are no longer being accepted at this time.

“The health and safety of auction-goers, volunteers, Hospice staff and the overall community are of the utmost importance to Hospice & Community Care. As result, the organization has made the difficult decision to not hold an in-person Labor Day Auction this year, but rather conduct a new virtual event,” comments Bonnie Jess Lopane, CFRE, vice president, chief development officer, Hospice & Community Care. “While we will miss the energy of the crowd, the virtual auction will create a buzz of excitement with sports memorabilia, vacation getaways, jewelry, artwork, quilts and more.

“Throughout the pandemic, Hospice & Community Care has continued to care for more than 600 patients and their families each day, who are coping with serious illness, end of life or loss. As a result, the organization’s need for financial support also continues,” she explains. “Proceeds from the virtual auction will help to provide hospice and palliative care and support for people who have weeks or months, rather than years to live, and for those who are coping with the loss of a loved one.”

Hospice & Community Care is a nonprofit hospice provider that has been serving patients and families at end of life since 1980. In 2019, the organization provided hospice, palliative and supportive care for nearly 7,000 patients and families, and nearly 9,000 adults, teens and children received grief support from the Pathways Center for Grief & Loss.