RUMFORD – The Beacon House Peer Center will host a soup luncheon from noon to 4 p.m. April 12 to raise money for activities and events.

Dorie Oakes, chairperson of the Beacon House activities committee, said the idea for the luncheon was “a group effort.” For $5 attendees will can choose either “ham and four-bean soup, beef stew, veggie stew or chili.”

“We’ll also have peer members making desserts for the luncheon,” Oakes added.

In addition to the food, Oakes said the peer center will host a Chinese auction and a 50-50 raffle, with one ticket for $1 or six for $5.

“If people decide that they don’t have time for the luncheon, they can still show up and participate in the raffle,” Oakes said.

Among the items being offered at the Chinese auction are baskets filled with baking items, grilling items, spa item, and gardening items. There will also be knit scarf and hat sets available.

Oakes said the Beacon House Peer Center is a “social club and peer center for those with physical, mental or developmental challenges.”

“It’s a place for people to play pool, do crafts, watch TV, but it’s mostly a support system,” Oakes said. “That’s not to say that everyone that comes here doesn’t have a support system, but it gives them a place to go to get out of the house and avoid isolation.”

The soup luncheon will be the “first of many serious fundraisers,” according to Oakes.

“Basically, we need the extra money as every other nonprofit organization does right now,” Oakes said. “It will help us pay for some of the activities we’d like to do. For instance, the number one barrier for us right now is transportation. We’re hoping the money will help us take swimming trips, or maybe a trip to the movies, or even a shopping trip into Lewiston. Anything that will get them out of the humdrum of everyday life.”

Oakes also announced that on May 8, the Beacon House Peer Center is planning a craft fair that is “in the beginning stages as of today.”

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