The 43rd Annual Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction to be held Dec. 10-13 at the Belknap Marketplace

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 [email protected] 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.