This year’s 2020 Mardi Gras fundraiser broke its own fundraising record.
The annual gala, which raises money for Lamar County Meals on Wheels, gathered an estimated $102,000 Friday evening at the Love Civic Center.
“We definitely appreciate all of our sponsors and those who attended but a special thank you to Mac’s Electric and the crew he brought with him. I’m blown away that we broke $100k and it goes to show you the community trusts us to feed people in need and supports what we are doing,” said executive director Shelly Braziel.
One of the highlights of the event is the auction of the King Cake, which comes directly from New Orleans each year and has become a crowd favorite.
“The King Cake is a staple at Mardi Gras. When it started the idea was to bring in enough to feed one person for a year. Well, in the last five years our supporters have tried to top the previous years bid.”
And top the previous record they did. In 2019 the King Cake went for $5,000 but on Friday night local dug deep for a good cause and bid $7,000.
“I was just blown away,” said Shelley. “Our live auction broke all our previous records, and we couldn’t have dont that without businesses who donated.”
In addition to the record breaking live auction, Brittany Brown was crowned Mardi Gras Queen and bought in $3,186, about $1,000 more than last year’s King contest.
Lamar County Meals On Wheels serves nearly 1,000 residents in throughout Lamar, Delta, Hopkins, and Red River Counties. Money raised from the fundraiser will cover roughly 15,000 meals.