NEVADA—With the faithful support of regular Bull Pen Auction customers and the support of the Nevada community, more than 30 families will receive much-needed help this Christmas.
The tradition started more than 20 years ago when founder Greg Durham and his daughter Amanda Durham Rex saw a need in their community, so they began collecting donations from their customers. During these years, they have helped over 300 families with Christmas gifts and food.
In keeping with their commitment to being more than a handout, they developed guidelines to qualify for assistance and put measures into place so that recipients had a support system to help them long after the holidays. They help families seek job opportunities, complete job applications, and create resumes.
To qualify, a family must not have been on the list before, and at least one person in the household must be working. If a family does not already receive food assistance, they will receive an entire month of food to go along with the gifts.
Gift and monetary donations are taken all year long at regular auctions. A donor is permitted to see an entire purchase history to be assured their generosity goes exactly where it’s needed. Sent thanks to frugal spending and the good management of donations, the auction house has been able to reach out to the elderly with care packages.
While families have been adopted for Christmas assistance this year, Bull Pen is still accepting letters to Santa and granting wishes for children who write.
A large mailbox is located at 111 S. Main Street in Nevada for children to send their wishes in a letter. The letter must include the child’s name and address.
This project builds all year long thanks to community and customer support. Bull Pen Auction is located at 208 N. Main St. in Nevada. Auctions begin every Saturday at 4:30 pm with the exception of the antique auction, which is held on the last Saturday of each month starting at noon.