Girls’ Night Out at Bushel & Peck’s Raises Over $2700 for Meals on Wheels Beloit

By ELISA TURNER

On Wednesday, January 29, Girls’ Night Out of Rock County partnered with Meals on Wheels along with Bushel & Peck to host a lively evening of appetizers, raffles, and socialization. Girls’ Night Out is a Wisconsin-based organization that partners with charities to host social events that combine entertainment and goodwill. This lovely organization has been volunteer-owned and operated for ten years now, having a platform built upon connection and giving back to the community. Girls’ Night Out of Rock County aims to get women together for a relaxing social gathering while doing good for the community.

Meals on Wheels Beloit was Wednesday’s charity of focus— having been in operation for over 50 years, Meals on Wheels Beloit delivers daily lunches and dinners to homebound individuals. Through the gift basket raffle and the 50/50 raffle, this event ended up raising over $2,700 for Meals on Wheels Beloit. This money goes directly to helping the elderly, ill, and disabled right here in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Throughout the evening, I chatted with a few representatives of both Girls’ Night Out and Meals on Wheels Beloit alike. These lovely ladies were nothing short of beaming with generosity and kindness; everyone was so genuinely pleasant to speak with. Volunteers for each organization absolutely gushed with well-earned pride in their hard work— overall, the environment was overwhelmingly positive in the best way possible.

Each representative wanted to thank Bushel & Peck’s for donating their time, space, and resources to this event. Not only did the shop stay open after typical hours to serve as a venue, but Bushel & Peck’s kept employees serving drinks and food throughout the evening. A lovely charcuterie spread sparked conversation and pleasant surprise amongst attendees, myself included. It featured a wide variety of Bushel & Peck’s high-quality appetizer bites, including but not limited to cheeses, cured meats, crackers, fruits, and desserts. Notably, the Bushel & Peck’s staff restocked the charcuterie board throughout the evening, keeping it fresh with both food and presentation rather than letting the appetizers get violently ransacked within the first fifteen minutes without keeping up with demand as so many events tend to do. To top it all off, Bushel & Peck donated a raffle basket consisting of fruit spreads and cheeses, along with other Bushel & Peck products.

Having raised over $2,700 for Meals on Wheels Beloit and having provided a vibrant evening for every attendee, I’d personally call the event a smashing success. And as I stood in a room full of women so genuinely enthusiastic to do good for the community, I couldn’t imagine putting Beloit in better hands. The representatives of Girls’ Night Out and Meals on Wheels, however, are always on the lookout for more helping hands! On March 25, Girls’ Night Out of Rock County is hosting an event at Bogey’s Burgers & Beers in Janesville, WI to benefit Camp Unleashed, a summer camp full of events that focus on teaching children compassion for animals, along with other critter-adjacent skills. Meals on Wheels Beloit currently has several volunteer positions open, the specifics of which can be found on their website or through emailing the volunteer coordinator Lyndsay Rochester at volcoord@beloitmealsonwheels.org for more information.

_{Featured Image: Elisa Turner}