For 18 years, the owners of Cabal's Lair have been hosting a party to celebrate the community and their business, located at 63 S. Main St., Manheim. While the festivities have always included food, drinks and prizes, for the past decade, the party has also featured a food drive.

This year's celebration, held on Nov. 22 and 23, garnered 673 pounds of food for the Manheim Central Food Pantry and 346 pounds of food for the Agape Family Shelter in Lebanon.

"We had a fantastic turnout!" said Jan Marie Blouch, who owns Cabal's Lair with her husband, Chris. She noted that the food for the Manheim pantry filled a small pickup truck, and the donations for the Lebanon shelter filled an SUV.

"It was a total of 1,019 pounds of food," she said.

The Manheim Central Food Pantry provides food to anyone in the community who meets the requirements. At the Agape Family Shelter, the families that live on-site share the food.

For the Blouches, hosting the food drive means much more than just throwing a party.

"It's important for me to host an event like this, because I do know what it's like to be truly in need, down and out and need shelter/food," Jan Marie said. "There was a time when the Agape Shelter was there for my family, so I want to be there for them. And Manheim has always been home for our tattoo shop, so of course we take care of that community."

At the party, people brought food for the drive and also enjoyed walking tacos, played games and entered for a chance to win prizes, including gift cards. Part of the tradition includes having guests sign a T-shirt, Jan Marie said.

"Every signature on this shirt is a part of Cabal's Lair's journey," she noted, "We really appreciate the community's support."

Cabal's Lair - named for Chris' childhood pet scorpion - offers tattoos and piercings and showcases the couple's creative talents. The name also reflects its partnership, as "cabal" describes a collective of artists, perfectly matching the work the high school sweethearts do together.

Jan Marie noted that the party was a lot of fun, but the reaction from the pantry and shelter staff to the donations was even better.

"When we started unloading the truck, I told them we had a cart full of bananas, and they immediately took them inside to the patrons, because it was a needed item," she said. "There was $180 in cash donated, which I used to buy the bananas, 20 bags of apples and eight bags of oranges."

Jan Marie said she's overwhelmed - but not surprised - by the community's response to the food drive.

"I think we get a big response because it's a tradition that people have really enjoyed becoming a part of," she said. "Our clients are very dedicated and loyal. They want to succeed with us as well as see us succeed. So, I think that's why it's become a big part of our community relationship."