Harvest Event Benefits Project Self-Sufficiency

Celebrated chefs Kirk Avondoglio, Ken Salmon and Andre de Waal

On Sunday, September 29^th, the “Harvest Shoot” and “Taste of Autumn Gourmet Gathering” to benefit Project Self-Sufficiency will take place at the Hudson Farm Club in Andover and at Andre’s Lakeside Dining in Sparta.  The Hudson Farm Club event will feature a sporting clay shoot on the 3,800-acre hunting preserve.  The multi-course dinner, “Taste of Autumn Gourmet Gathering,” will be prepared by celebrated chefs Kirk Avondoglio, Perona Farms, Andre de Waal, Andre’s Lakeside Dining, and Ken Salmon, North Shore House.  Patrons have the option of participating in the all-day event, or just the dinner alone.  All proceeds will benefit Project Self-Sufficiency, a local non-profit agency which specializes in services for low-income families in Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon Counties.

The Hudson Farm Club has hosted a Sporting Clay Outing on behalf of Project Self-Sufficiency for seventeen consecutive years.  The “Taste of Autumn Gourmet Gathering” was added several years ago to allow more patrons to take part in the event.  Like a golf outing, the Sporting Clay Outing allows participants to shoot at an assortment of clay targets available at 20 different locations throughout the sprawling grounds.  Each shooting station offers a different presentation of targets, allowing participants to simulate game shooting in a variety of ways.   Teams will have the opportunity to take aim at 100 clays over the course of 3 ½ hours. A special clinic for novice shooters will be held in the afternoon to ensure that new participants learned safe techniques. 

Event participants will be served a light lunch, take part in the clay shoot throughout the extensive Hudson Farm Club grounds, and then travel to Andre’s Lakeside Dining in Sparta to a enjoy the gourmet dinner.  The Hudson Farm Club will provide cartridges, ear and eye protection, and instruction and guidance tailored to each participant’s experience level.  With 20 different electronic stations, the Hudson Farm Club provides one of the most extensive shooting layouts in the country.  While guests are asked to bring their own break-open shotguns, rentals may be arranged for those who don’t own a gun and/or who may have limited shooting experience.

“The Harvest Shoot & Taste of Autumn Gourmet Gathering is an important component of Project Self-Sufficiency’s annual fundraising campaign.  We rely on the funds raised with this event to assist low-income families in northwestern New Jersey to attain economic self-sufficiency and family stability,” commented Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency.  “We are particularly grateful to the celebrated chefs, Andre de Waal, Kirk Avondoglio and Ken Salmon, as well as the membership of the Hudson Farm Club for their support of this unique event.”

The Sporting Clay Outing is open to all skill levels.  Participation in the full day event is $500 per person, or $2,000 for a foursome and a station sign; tickets for the dinner only are $200 per person.  Station sponsorships are available for $200.  Lunch and registration will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m., with the outing scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.  Cocktails will begin at 5:00 p.m. at Andre’s Lakeside Dining with the dinner served at 6:00 p.m.

Event sponsors include Beverly and Bruce Gordon; Lou and Kathy Esposito; Hilary Kruce and Vincent Signorile; John Marchioni; Gregory and Susan Murphy; and J.P. Perry, Henry O. Baker Insurance Group.

All proceeds will benefit Project Self-Sufficiency, a private non-profit community-based organization which has served low-income families in northwestern New Jersey for more than 30 years.  The agency’s mission is to provide a broad spectrum of holistic, respectful, and comprehensive services enabling low-income single parents, teen parents, two-parent families, and displaced homemakers to achieve personal and economic self-sufficiency, family stability, and to improve their lives and the lives of their children. 

To register for the event, visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org and click on Harvest Shoot.  To find out more about the programs and services available at the non-profit agency, call 973-940-3500 or 844-807-3500, or visit www.projectselfsufficency.org.