Raising money for Pickerington schools

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A top-notch catered dinner and some 50 themed prize baskets are the highlights of a charity auction benefiting Pickerington Local Schools.

The Pickerington Education Foundation holds its third annual charity auction Oct. 26 at Hickory Lakes Event Facilities & Hospitality.

Pickerington Local is the 15th largest school district in Ohio, educating more than 10,000 students a year. With a vision to improve the community and society by opening doors and providing opportunities for every child, the district is dedicated to empowering its students, and the foundation works to pursue that goal as well.

Formed in 2004 by a group of community members who were passionate about education and the school district, the foundation is able to provide grants to educators through charity fundraising.

“The foundation awards approximately $15,000 in classroom and building grants annually,” says Lori Sanders, a member of the foundation’s board of directors and a longtime Pickerington Board of Education member.

The auction allows the foundation to raise the money it needs to provide these grants. Extensive planning and sponsor support make it possible for the foundation to keep bringing attendees a night of entertainment, food and fundraising.  

“We have a great event team that began working in the spring to bring the community a top-notch event,” Sanders says. “This could not happen without our sponsors.”

This year’s sponsors include Diley Ridge Medical Center, EPS Ohio and SHP Leading Design.

“The businesses in our community have been very generous in their donations to this event, and we thank everyone for their support,” says Sanders.

In addition to about 50 themed baskets, the auction always has a special travel package for the grand prize. Thanks to this year’s trip sponsor, EPS Ohio, the grand prize is a weeklong trip for two at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun.

By purchasing a ticket to the auction, guests are not only treated to dinner catered by Berwick Manor and an evening of fun, they are also automatically entered into the drawing for the grand prize trip.

“The auction will typically raise $15,000 to $18,000,” says Sanders. “We would like to get to the $20,000 level in the next few years.”

The 2017 auction is 6-9 p.m. Oct. 26. Tickets may be purchased at www.pickeringtoneducationfoundation.com or by contacting Lori Sanders at lorisanders5@yahoo.com.

Jenny Wise is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

Grandma Maria’s Lasagna

Courtesy of Berwick Manor

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef

¼ cup rosemary, dried or fresh, chopped

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 to 2 boxes pasta sheets, fresh or dried

5 cups tomato sauce

1 ½ cups pecorino Romano cheese

1 ½ pounds ricotta cheese

4 lbs. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place ground beef in a large skillet. Season with rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic. Add a little water. Cook over medium heat until well-browned, breaking up into crumbles as it cooks.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Put the noodles into an ice-water bath when cooked, then lay them out to dry on paper towels.

Coat the bottom of a very large, deep pan with nonstick cooking spray. Half a commercial-sized sheet pan or two 9-by-13-inch cake pans will be enough space.

Line bottom of the pan with noodles. Spread 1 cup of sauce over top of the noodles. Sprinkle with ¼ of the Romano, then ¼ of the ricotta, ¼ of the ground beef and ¼ of the mozzarella. Repeat with noodles, sauce, cheeses and beef until four layers are completed.

Place a final layer of noodles on top. Top with last cup of sauce and sprinkle additional Romano cheese on top.

Cover with parchment paper, then cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour or until the center is hot, reaching 165 degrees on a thermometer. Serves 20.

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