LACONIA —Bidders who want to be sure they get the item they want—at the price they want—may place a Max Bid on items over a $300 value in this year’s Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction.

The auction will be held this year from Tuesday, Dec. 10 through Friday, Dec. 13, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Belknap Marketplace in the former CVS location. Early bidding, and the placement of Max Bids, will begin on Black Friday, Nov. 29, at 9 a.m. and extend through Friday, Dec. 13. 

Anyone can register as an auction bidder online at ChildrensAuction.org. Registered bidders can then bid early and place a Max Bid on high-value items over $300. Bids will automatically go up in increments to keep the bidder in the lead, up to the Max limit set. 

“We’ll let you know if someone outbids you, and you can decide if you want to increase your Max limit,” said Executive Director Jennifer Kelley.

Want to donate an item? Visit childrensauction.org/post/collection-box-locations to see all the drop-off locations in the region. 

“The organization is still seeking items of any value for this year’s auction,” Kelley said. “While many items have been received at this time, there is a need for thousands of items to raise enough money to meet the needs of the community.”  

Auction leaders will collect new, unused, unwrapped items right up to the week of the auction. Gift cards, electronics, tools, toys, sporting goods and household items all bring the highest bids. Visit ChildrenAuction.org for a list of donation drop-off sites throughout the Lakes Region. 

About the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction:

Numerous fundraising events in the Lakes Region throughout the year support the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, including our four-day signature event every December. In the past four decades we have distributed more than $8 million to over 80 nonprofits that serve low-income families and children in the Lakes Region, all through volunteer efforts, community donations and corporate sponsorship. The Auction falls under the umbrella of the Greater Lakes Region Charitable Fund for Children, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps local community organizations that serve children and families in need. For more information about the Auction, the nonprofits it supports and how you can help, visit ChildrensAuction.org. 

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LACONIA — The Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction recently announced that early bidding and Max Bidding will begin this year on Friday, Nov. 29 on items valued at $300 or more.

The 43rd annual Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, presented by Hannaford Supermarkets, will be held this year from Tuesday, Dec. 10 to Friday, Dec. 13 at the Belknap Marketplace in Belmont.

Anyone can place a Max Bid on all items during the auction. You set a max limit, and your bid will automatically go up in increments to keep you in the lead.

The auction is seeking donations of new items from gift cards to gift baskets. There are several dozen drop-off locations for donated items around the Lakes Region. For a list, visit childrensauction.org/post/collection-box-locations.

Learn more about the Auction at ChildrensAuction.org.

About Hannaford Supermarkets

Hannaford Supermarkets operates 186 stores in the Northeast, most with full-service pharmacies. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. All are committed to offering great fresh food, convenient experiences and everyday low prices. Hannaford also is an active and committed community partner—focusing on fighting hunger, supporting youth development, and helping people live healthier lives. Hannaford is an industry leader in sustainability with a strong commitment to reducing waste and protecting the environment. Hannaford diverts or donates all food at risk of going to waste—sending no food to landfills. In 2022, Hannaford donated 25 million pounds of food to hunger relief organizations and prevented 65 million pounds of food waste from reaching landfills. Hannaford employs nearly 30,000 associates and is based in Scarborough, Maine. Additional information can be found at Hannaford.com.

About the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction:

Numerous fundraising events in the Lakes Region throughout the year support the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, including our four-day signature event every December. In the past four decades we have distributed more than $8.6 million to over 80 nonprofits that serve low-income families and children in the Lakes Region, all through volunteer efforts, community donations and corporate sponsorship. The Auction falls under the umbrella of the Greater Lakes Region Charitable Fund for Children, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps local community organizations that serve children and families in need. For more information about the Auction, the nonprofits it supports and how you can help, visit ChildrensAuction.org.

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LACONIA—The 43rd annual Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, presented by Hannaford Supermarkets, will be held this year from Tuesday, Dec. 10 to Friday, Dec. 13 at the Belknap Marketplace in Belmont.

The auction occurs live at the marketplace and airs daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A variety of items will be up for bid each day, and friends and neighbors from throughout the community will appear on the set. Watch the event on Lakes Region Public Access television viewers can tune into Channel 25. The auction will also stream live at ChildrensAuction.org, on The Laconia Daily Sun’s website at laconiadailysun.com and on Facebook.com/ChildrensAuction. Listen to the auction each day with Zack Derby and friends at Lakes 101.5 FM.

On Friday, Dec. 13, auction volunteers will come together to announce the total funds raised for children and families in need. 

Jennifer Kelley, executive director of the auction, is thrilled to have the event at the Belknap Marketplace. “We are grateful to everyone at the marketplace for welcoming our hundreds of auction volunteers into their space,” she said. “The auction is such a valuable community event. Business leaders throughout the Lakes Region continue to show their generosity as we raise funds to financially support local children and families in need.”

George Vernet, owner of Vernet Properties, which oversees the marketplace, said, “It is an honor to be associated with such an outstanding organization as the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. It provides so much to the Lakes Region community. The Belknap Marketplace looks forward to hosting this event that financially supports local children and families in need.”

The auction will host its second annual family night on Wednesday, Dec. 11, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.  Have your picture taken with Santa, meet the Grinch, build a toy in Santa’s workshop, decorate holiday cookies, face paint, sing along with the Snow Family and hear holiday stories; children will get a free book courtesy of the local Kiwanis Club.

The auction still needs donations of new, unused, non-perishable items, big and small. Gift cards are always a hit with bidders. Other popular items include electronics, tools, tickets to sporting events, toys and services. 

Convenient item collection sites are now open throughout the region. Visit ChildrensAuction.org for details. And on Nov. 29 and 30, visit the collection site at the Belknap Marketplace and drop your items off between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Also donate items on Dec. 7-9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Belknap Marketplace.

Bid online at ChildrensAuction.org or over the phone during auction week at (603) 527-0999. Pre-bidding begins Friday, Nov. 29 online on items with a retail value of $300 or more. Anyone can bid on these featured items as well as place a max bid on any item.

Sponsorship opportunities exist at every level. Email Jenn@ChildrensAuction.org or call (603) 527-0999 for more information on how your business can make a difference in the lives of children. 

Follow the auction on Facebook at Facebook.com/ChildrensAuction; Instagram at Instagram.com/childrensauction603/; and LinkedIn at Linkedin.com/company/greater-lakes-region-children-s-auction/

About the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction:

Numerous fundraising events in the Lakes Region throughout the year support the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, including our four-day signature event every December. In the past four decades we have distributed more than $8 million to over 80 nonprofits that serve low-income families and children in the Lakes Region, all through volunteer efforts, community donations and corporate sponsorship. The Auction falls under the umbrella of the Greater Lakes Region Charitable Fund for Children, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps local community organizations that serve children and families in need. For more information about the Auction, the nonprofits it supports and how you can help, visit ChildrensAuction.org. 

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Thousands of items still needed to keep 2020 donations on par with previous years

LACONIA — The Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction will hold its final pre-Auction item drive on Friday, Nov. 27 and Saturday, Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion.

New, unused, and unwrapped items are desperately needed to help the Children’s Auction raise the same level of funding in 2020 as it has in recent years. COVID-19 has put an enormous damper on the organization’s ability to gather items and on volunteers’ individual fundraising efforts through events, primarily. 

“While many items have been received at this time, there is a need for thousands of items to raise enough money to meet the needs of the community,” said Jaime Sousa, GLRCA board chairperson. “Local businesses have stepped up to gather items and even allowed us to have item drives in their parking lots, but we are not done yet. We need more items to serve more people in 2021.”

While all new items are welcome, traditionally gift cards, electronics, tools, toys, sporting goods, and household items bring in the highest bids.

Completed donor forms must accompany each donation; forms are available at https://bit.ly/32ahYHb and will also be available at the pavilion.

Gift card donations can be dropped off at the pavilion; mailed to GLRCA, 383 South Main Street, Laconia, NH 03246; or ordered online and delivered to GLRCA.

Because of the threat of the pandemic, this year’s auction will be held virtually from the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion. Auction leaders will not accept donations during the event to ensure there is time to properly sanitize and photograph every item in a manner in which volunteers can social distance. 

For more information, contact Jennifer Kelley, Children’s Auction Coordinator at Jenn@ChildrensAuction.com.

About the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction:

The Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction is a charitable event held every December in central New Hampshire. Countless volunteers and donors have turned the Auction and its many fundraising events, including, It’s for the Kids Community Challenge (formerly PubMania), into a major annual campaign. In the 39 years that the community has come together for the Auction, more than $6 million has been raised for local charities, all through volunteer efforts, community donations, and corporate sponsorship.  The Greater Lakes Region Charitable Fund for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps community organizations in the Central New Hampshire region. For more information about the Auction, the nonprofits it supports, and how you can help, visit ChildrensAuction.com.

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