Domestic violence shelter dinner in Kingsford

Dickinson County’s domestic violence shelter raised thousands of dollars last night and had a lot of fun in the process.

Caring House hosted its annual Celebrity Waiters Dinner at First Presbyterian Church in Kingsford. The spaghetti dinner has taken place for about three decades now, and it’s the largest single fundraiser that Caring House holds each year.

“This year, we need the funds more than ever before,” Caring House executive director Cheryl O’Neil said. “We’ve, as most nonprofits have, suffered a lot of losses of state and federal funds, so we really do look to community support to get through these tough times.”

Between admissions, raffles, silent auctions and the tips that waiters collect, the dinner usually generates $10,000 or more. “That’s our hope. We are hoping to at least do that, if not better,” O’Neil said. “People come and just laugh from the time they walk in the door to the time they leave, serving tables, singing songs and just having a good time with the public.”

Our own Mike Hoey was there as a celebrity waiter, but he wasn’t in costume as a Kingsford High School football player, a two-headed monster or Lieutenant Uhura from ‘Star Trek’ like some of the other waiters were!