Checotah First United Methodist Church will host a Christmas Silent Auction this Saturday, Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. until noon at the Methodist Mission, located at 419 West Gentry Ave.

There will be decorated Christmas trees, wreaths, a quilt, fire pit, horseshoe set and more to be bid on. All proceeds will go to the Methodist Mission Food Pantry as they prepare for the upcoming holidays.

Refreshments will be served during the event.

The Methodist Mission is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for the Thrift Store and 9:30 a.m. to noon for the Food Pantry.

“On average there are 9-10 Thrift Store volunteers and 4-5 Food Pantry volunteers each day we are open,” Volunteer Marianne Callich said. “Many hours are put in during non-store time also to keep things running smoothly.”

Since January of this year, the Methodist Mission has served 1,949 households. Within those households they have served 1,571 children from 0-17 years old, 2,124 adults from 18-54 years old and 1,795 seniors who are 55 years old or older.

“In those households, we have 288 veterans and since the beginning of 2023 we have taken on 196 new families to serve. These families are eligible to come every thirty days for food. The proceeds from our thrift store and donations are used to buy the food which we get from the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma in Tulsa and our local merchants. On any given day we are open, we may have 10 to 15 volunteers working to run the store and food pantry. We also have other volunteers working on the days we are not open. Though our volunteers work different shifts and come from all different walks of life in our community, we appreciate their services greatly and couldn’t do without them.”

After the Christmas Silent Auction this weekend, the Methodist Mission will be gearing up for its Annual Christmas Sale from Dec. 5 through Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon. Again, all the proceeds will benefit the food pantry and families in need in the McIntosh County area.