The Hope for Haiti Benefit Auction of Northern Lancaster County has been scheduled for Saturday, May 15, at the Hertzog Homestead Event Venue, 470 W. Metzler Road, Ephrata. Organizers have planned a day that will include pony rides, food, and an auction.

The auction began several years ago when a group of neighbors centered around the common goal of helping those living in poverty to gain education and employment skills to help them become self-sustainable.

According to Kristen Hertzog, organizer of the event, the auction will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until the last item is sold. Among the many pieces of merchandise that will go up for bids will be handmade quilts in a variety of sizes, lawn and garden supplies, antiques, collectibles, furniture, gift cards, baskets, and donated gently used items. "We are still accepting donations of new items and financial gifts to offset the cost of the auction," said Hertzog.

Food that will be available for purchase will include chicken barbecue, salads, sub sandwiches, toasted cheeseburgers, pulled pork sandwiches, baked goods, and homemade doughnuts.

Hertzog noted that extra attention has been paid to safety measures this year. "There's natural social distancing due to the 23-acre size of the property (where the auction is held)," she explained. "We are taking precautions for safety for both the volunteers and the attendees," she said, adding that masks are strongly encouraged.

All the funds raised at the 2021 event will benefit two organizations that help provide education and business training for Haitian small business owners. Paradigm Shift is the education division of Haiti Transformation, which teaches leadership skills and is led by Nelson and Sue Martin. Hope Library is located in Montrouis, Haiti, a town with a population of about 18,000. The library offers books in French, Creole, and English and education programs in the area. The library, which is a Christian training center, has more than 1,000 volumes of books. Hertzog said auction organizers would like to help the library get to 5,000 volumes.

The auction regularly brings together about 100 volunteers from diverse backgrounds who work to help bring education and business training to the people of Haiti. Hertzog estimated that about 1,000 people attend each year.

Readers who would like more information may visit http://www.hopeforhaitibenefit.auction. Hertzog noted that those who cannot attend may donate online via the website. Individuals with questions may call 717-201-4893.