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Pumpkin Auction Proceeds Will Benefit Needy Families in the Area

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Realtors and affiliates from the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors® (SILVAR) raised over $4,500 dollars for the Red Cross program Operation Reindeer and the Second Harvest Food Bank at a Pumpkin Auction held during SILVAR's Los Gatos/Saratoga District Tour Meeting last week.
 
Each year Realtors and affiliates bid on unique and artistically decorated pumpkins and prizes donated by fellow members of the association. This year was no different. Beautiful fall arrangements, theater/game tickets, a spa package, a dinner for a group of people and gift certificates to upscale restaurants in the area were among the prizes this year.
 
Los Gatos/Saratoga District Chair Brian Bernasconi of Alain Pinel Realtors was the master of ceremonies and thanked everyone - donors and bidders - for their generosity. Finet of Saratoga's Dave Eshleman served as auctioneer. The highlight of the auction was a gigantic pumpkin weighing over 300 pounds, which was grown and donated by Helen Pastorino of Pertria. Auctioneer Eshleman won the bid for the pumpkin, which now sits as a fall decoration in his office.
 
"It's so big, it's starting to affect the rotation of the earth!" Eshleman chuckled. "It took three people and a truck to deliver the huge pumpkin to my office."
The pumpkin auction is an annual event and a good way to raise money for a good cause, according to Eshleman.
 
"The district has held the auction for many years," said Eshleman. "It's a fun way to raise money and help those in need. The Realtors and affiliates donate beautifully decorated pumpkins with flower arrangements and everybody has a great time."
 
Val Brand of Village Square Realty was in charge of the event for the district. Brand said, "We were very pleased with the turn-out and we'd like to thank everyone who participated in the event. The money raised will benefit low-income families in the area by providing them with food and presents for Christmas."
 
Brand said through Operation Reindeer, about 100 families in the area will receive food, clothing and gifts for the holidays. The connection between Realtors and the Red Cross goes back many years with Operation Reindeer beginning as a grassroots program. The Realtors' Pumpkin Auction provides the seed money to start the Realtor-funded portion of Operation Reindeer. Individual
 
Realtors also contribute to the fund as well as individual offices from real estate, title and mortgage companies. In addition to monetary contributions, many volunteers give their time to shop, wrap and help distribute presents and food certificates.  
 
Another portion of the proceeds will go to Second Harvest Food Bank, a private non-profit organization that collects and distributes more than 30 million pounds of food throughout the year to low-income children, adults and seniors in the area.
 
Bernasconi said the Los Gatos/Saratoga District's Pumpkin Auction has been a longtime tradition. 

"It's an opportunity for SILVAR Realtors to give back to the community and help those in need. Through the Pumpkin Auction, as well as RSVP (Realtors Service Volunteer Program), the SILVAR Charitable Foundation Trust, support for the Housing Industry Foundation through our recent Home for the Holidays event and for the Women's Council of Realtors® 2007 calendar, whose proceeds go to charity, year after year. We are constantly trying to generate money in order to better the lives of people in need," said Bernasconi.       

 
 
 

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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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