Families staying at the Mariucci Family Beacon House in Marquette while a loved one receives medical care will keep eating well, thanks to a raffle that sends every dollar to the nonprofit's Fresh Food Fund. The organization is selling $100 tickets for a Reverse Draw Raffle on Sunday, Sept. 6, with a $5,000 grand prize.
Only 250 tickets will be sold, giving each buyer a one-in-250 shot at the top prize. The last ticket drawn wins. A secondary "rebound raffle" carries a $1,000 cash prize, and the afternoon includes food and drinks at Ore Dock Brewing Company's Biergarten, 114 Spring St. in Marquette. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m.
Winners do not need to be present.
"We see their faces light up and it's especially people with children who maybe are struggling, and they know that the kids are going to get some hot meals," CEO Mary Tavernini Dowling told WBUP/WJMN in an Aug. 11 interview. "Everybody's going to have what they need."
The Beacon House is a private, donation-based nonprofit that provides lodging for patients and families traveling across the Upper Peninsula for specialty care at UP Health System–Marquette and the Upper Peninsula Medical Center. Its Fresh Food Fund keeps the guest kitchen stocked so families don't have to worry about meals during a medical crisis, according to the organization's website.
Tickets can be purchased online, by calling 906-225-7100, or in person at the Beacon House during open desk hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Upcoming community events:
- Sunday, Sept. 6 — Beacon House Reverse Draw Raffle, noon–3 p.m., Ore Dock Brewing Co. Biergarten, 114 Spring St., Marquette. Tickets: $100.
