DE PERE, Wis. (WFRV) – The De Pere and West De Pere school districts joined forces Sunday for the sixth annual Hands Across De Pere fundraiser, rallying community support for students and families facing tough times.
The event took place at the Swan Club from 3 to 6 p.m., featuring raffles, silent auctions, and live music from Grand Union. Attendees bid on prizes ranging from school athletic passes and art pieces to weekend getaways and baskets filled with beer and wine — all to raise funds that give families “a hand up, not a handout,” organizers said.
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“It means a lot to us to be able to support them,” said Michelle Dahlke, a De Pere school social worker. “School supplies are more expensive, and lunches are more expensive. The eligibility for free lunch has changed, so people who qualified before don’t qualify anymore — things are different now.”
The fundraiser started as an initiative between the East De Pere and Unified De Pere school districts and has grown thanks to an outpouring of local support, said fellow social worker Melanie Brick…