Inspired to Make a Difference
Motivated by their desire to give back, Dan and Kathy Boespflug worked with Trish Sears to bring together a group of friends and acquaintances to learn more about food insecurity and how they could get involved. This was the 2nd Annual Open House, Open Hearts fundraiser hosted by a small, but mighty, group of friends. The Boespflugs and Sears hosted a cozy winter house party at a private home in Tamarack where guests enjoyed wood-fired pizza and Holesinsky wines, while hearing from The Idaho Foodbank’s President & CEO Randy Ford about the work to provide nutritious food for children whose families are struggling to make ends meet. By bringing together their circle of friends, they were able to make a difference.
While they have always been supportive of food drives and turkey drives during the holidays, Dan and Kathy knew they wanted to get more involved when they retired. Dan is a retired doctor who knows what it was like to grow up in a household that needed help getting food. Seeing how his family struggled, Dan knew it wasn’t for lack of effort on his parents’ part, but a result of many other factors that led to his own food insecurity growing up. Knowing that these experiences don’t happen in a vacuum, Dan and Kathy also choose to focus their philanthropy on education and affordable housing. It is not easy to ask your friends to make a donation, but Kathy wanted to push herself out of her comfort zone to make a difference in her community. Dan and Kathy knew that there were good people who would get more involved if they learned more about the need in their Valley County community and were given the opportunity to help.
By leveraging their own charitable donation to The Idaho Foodbank as a match for donations from their friends at this event, the Boespflugs hoped that the challenge would provide a little bit of extra motivation for their circle of friends to step up and become part of something much bigger than they could have imagined. Kathy said, “We are all so blessed; we need to dig deep in your heart until it hurts, and then double what you give. That can make a difference.”
And it did. The Open House, Open Hearts event resulted in $100,000 to support Idaho children in need! “We know that this kind of peer to peer fundraising can make a significant impact. We are grateful to all who participated and extend a sincere appreciation to Kathy and Dan for all they continue to do for our neighbors in need”, said Morgan Wilson, Chief Development Officer at The Idaho Foodbank. As Kathy explained, we should all try to push ourselves and invite others to get involved.
You can learn more about how you can support The Idaho Foodbank here.