Chili Open Raises Funds to Help Homeless Children and Families

Plans are underway for the annual Chili Open Golf Classic fundraiser to be held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds on Saturday, February 1st. Proceeds will benefit Project Give Shelter, a Project Self-Sufficiency initiative to help Sussex County residents who need emergency temporary shelter or stable housing. Funds raised from last year’s event were used to provide over 1,156 nights of shelter and help 147 local families, including 202 adults and 156 children, avoid homelessness.

“Success in becoming self-sufficient is built on a stable foundation of secure and safe housing,” said Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon. “It’s difficult to find a job, hold a job, get an education, or receive training when you don’t know where you’re going to sleep at night, or you must constantly relocate.”

Funds from the Chili Open will provide emergency shelter, security deposits, rent, and utility payments as necessary and appropriate, Berry-Toon said. The agency’s Project Give Shelter initiative is part of a longer-range effort to fight homelessness and is designed to aid both renters and landlords. “Project Self-Sufficiency has comprehensive wraparound programs and the staff to coordinate our efforts with other community providers to assure families and children are not left out in the cold,” explained Berry-Toon.

The annual Chili Open Golf Classic, which has become a beloved wintertime tradition, has been played on a makeshift course at Sussex County Fairgrounds for more than 20 years. Golfers play a scramble format of two of the four nine-hole, par-three courses before heading indoors for lunch featuring a variety of fare donated by area restaurants, including a selection of chili, with music provided by R.E.N.O. the Band, as well as a putting contest, beverages, raffles and a 50/50 drawing.

Rotary Clubs in Branchville, Newton, and Wallkill partner with Project Self-Sufficiency to organize and serve breakfast and lunch, staff a cash bar and provide souvenir photos of the golfers, among other event assistance.

“Many golfers have been attending the Chili Open for years,” said Bruce Tomlinson, Project Self-Sufficiency Development Director, and a longtime Chili Open participant. “In some ways, the Chili Open is like an annual community family reunion.”

Over the years, the Chili Open has been played in a wide variety of conditions, from below zero windchill to relatively moderate temperatures. In some years, snow needed to be plowed from the makeshift fairways and the golf cups were filled with ice. “Golfers of all skill levels have a great time, regardless of the weather,” Tomlinson observed. “But they do seem to like the challenge of less-than-ideal conditions.”

Because the Chili Open is a fundraiser to help those facing housing crises in Sussex County, sponsors and golfers are needed and welcomed. Chili Open Golf Classic registration details and sponsorship opportunities can be found on the Project Self-Sufficiency website, www.projectselfsufficiency.org/chili-open.

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