HOPE — A Hope nonprofit has found a new way to raise money with a surprising theme — commodes.
Since July 15, the Students Fund of Hope has been sponsoring “Flush Out Hunger,” which operates on the same principle as the pink flamingo fundraisers.
But instead of putting pink plastic birds in a yard as a practical joke, one of four colorful toilets are being placed on different lawns in the Hope area.
The brand-new, never-used commodes have been painted in different designs: banana, grape, avocado and watermelon, according to Students Fund of Hope co-founder Whitney Budd.
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If you find one of these porcelain devices in your yard, there are different options available at different prices, Budd said.
$10 — Take it away.
$20 — Send it to someone else.
$30 — Make sure it doesn’t come back.
$40 — Pre-register to ensure that it never arrives at your home.
While Budd describes the commodes as “outrageously funny eyesores,” she knows the concept will be interpreted by some as a bit “over-the-top.”
“When I brought this idea to the (Students Fund of Hope) board of directors, they looked at me like I had three heads,” Budd said.
But after Hope-area residents discovered the money from this fundraiser is paying off depleted lunch accounts for low-income local students, most objections fade quickly away, she said.
“Hope is such a small-knit community that everybody is being a good sport about it,” Budd said.
In fact, more than $600 was raised in just four days after the “Flush Out Hunger” fundraiser began, Budd said.
The charity’s goal is to raise $2,000 by the end of July — about a week before classes begin in the Flatrock-Hawcreek School Corp.
But there are limitations to how far the one-year old charity is willing to go to carry out these practical jokes.
For example, if you pay to have a commode placed in someone’s yard, you cannot do it anonymously, Budd said.
The recipient will be told the identity of the sender to avoid wrong assumptions that could result in bad feelings, she said.
Informational signs with contact information can be found next to the colorful commodes, Budd said.
The Students Fund of Hope has raised about $30,000 with various fundraisers to help Flatrock-Hawcreek students since it was founded in July 2018.
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One way to participate in the "Flush Out Hunger" fundraiser is to leave a message on the Facebook page of the Students Fund of Hope.
In addition, informational signs left next to the commodes have a phone number that can be used for texting the organizers.
The fundraiser will continue through Monday.
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The Student Fund of Hope was created in July 2018, by Stephanie Long and Whitney Budd. Funds from the charity are primarily used to help children from financially disadvantaged families purchase school lunches.
About 40 percent of Flat Rock-Hawcreek students qualify for free or reduced lunches, which is below the state’s 48 percent average.
The organization has also attempted to address other needs of students from low-income families such as clothing and fees for extracurricular activities.
One year after its founding, the Student Fund of Hope has raised approximately $30,000, and is governed by a six-member board of directors, as well as Long and Budd.
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