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Online auction raises $9,000 for Cloverdale VFD
CLOVERDALE — Talking three winters ago about what it takes to come up with the holiday light display at RTM Unique Country Gifts, Mike Price told the Banner Graphic that it will come to him spontaneously. Even as it has gradually expanded, the display is, as he put it, “By guess, by golly.”
When it came recently to giving back to the Cloverdale firefighters, it was perhaps the same idea.
Only four days, actually.
But through a collaboration between Price and Denis Flory of DTF Sales, and ultimately with an outpouring of support from local people and businesses, a live auction on Facebook ended up raising more than $9,000 for the Cloverdale Township Volunteer Fire Department.
DTF Sales, co-owned by Flory and wife Terri, buys and resells goods from Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and other stores, as well as holds Facebook Live auctions on Tuesdays and Fridays. In a twist, Price approached him about selling some hang-up baskets and donating the proceeds to the fire department.
“It just took off from there,” he said, as Flory then began to reach out for donations from people and businesses. The timing was appropriate, as Cloverdale Township VFD was to have its annual sausage and pancake breakfast fundraiser a week later.
While it took four days to put it all together, the three-and-a-half-hour auction held Thursday evening sold a gambit of items from gift certificates, pizzas and deer feed to garden decor. One lot in particular, a ride-on truck, had special meaning as it went for a total of $714. The amount was the membership number of Cloverdale firefighter Mitch Warner, who was killed in a crash in August 2018.
“It made a bunch of old men cry,” Flory said, getting choked up.
In all, around a couple-hundred items were sold during the auction. To compare, Flory estimated that around 100 items could be sold during a typical four-hour auction through DTF Sales. In any case, it is about word of mouth.
“Our goal was we might sell $3,000 for the stuff,” Price said, with Flory noting that the auction’s viewership peaked at about 100 people. “If we had planned this three or four weeks ago, who knows what we would’ve done, but we may not have done as well on such a short notice thing.”
The buy-in from the 30 or so individuals and businesses which gave to the auction, as well as those who purchased the items, is humbling. This is especially as the funds are going toward those who give of themselves as volunteers.
“We have to have a fire service here, and they need all the help they can get,” Flory said. For Price, it was part of doing business and being community-oriented. With the gratitude shown by the firefighters, that business has been reciprocated with people knowing about the auction and coming through their shops.
“The donations are half of it,” Flory said. “You gotta have the generous hearts to pay $400-$500 for a $20 item. That’s basically what you have. People get it. That’s what’s great.”
With maybe a little more planning, Flory and Price want to see the effort become an annual one for the fire department. Getting to $15,000 might set the bar high. For them, though, the generosity to give is what counts.