A Taste of Hope fundraiser Friday

Silent auction items are being readied for A Taste of Hope: Cougar booster swag, crockpot and soups, a signed bottle of Doubleback cabernet sauvignon and Christmas décor basket.

Guests of Whitman Community Hospital Foundation will have the opportunity to taste wines, beers and sparkling ciders on Friday evening, Nov. 4, from 6 to 10 p.m. at “A Taste of Hope.” The event is hosted at The Center, adjacent to Whitman County Library. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door.

Hors d’oeuvres are provided by Hilltop Catering, Pullman, thanks to Barb Wachter. Dress is casual, and guests can taste, sip, mingle and bid on auction items, with time for drawings for dinners out, to thank sponsors and to auction three live items.

“A Taste of Hope” alludes to the tasting event and also to the hope that modern medical knowledge and technology paired with excellent patient care brings. Funds raised at “A Taste of Hope” will support purchase of an ultraviolet disinfection unit for Whitman Hospital and Medical Center and add to the foundation’s endowment funds.

Income from the endowment funds has been used to help build the therapy pool, support completion of the rehabilitation department in the new hospital and recently support purchase of a new 3-D mammography machine. The underlying purpose of the endowment is to support the hospital in case of a financial emergency.

Live auction items include four tickets to the Washington State University football game on Saturday versus Arizona with seats located in section 8 under the overhang, an ideal location in cool or rainy weather. The purse game is a perennial favorite, with men modeling purses and bidders hoping they have bought the purse containing the most cash. Robyn and Mark Johnson are hosting Dinner on Crestview, the third live auction item.

Silent auction items include items for children, a Northwest package that includes a handmade gold necklace, a signed bottle of Doubleback cabernet sauvignon and a bottle of O’Danagher’s Hibernian whiskey. Other silent auction baskets offer seasonal décor and Cougar gear.

Major sponsors are Waddell and Reed, Pullman, and Whitman Medical Group, Colfax. Hour sponsors are Edward Jones, Colfax; Pacific Northwest Growers Cooperative; Columbia Bank, Colfax, and the McGregor Company. Many supporters have donated cash or auction items.

For tickets, call Linda at 509-397-3172 or email mlmarler@q.com, purchase tickets at Tick Klock Drug, or contact any foundation board member.