Peaches are a versatile fruit. They can be used to make cobbler, cake, jam, ice cream, tea, soup – you name it. To celebrate the summer and feature the creations of the fruit, a local church is hosting a buffet.
The Richwood United Methodist Church is hosting its annual peach festival dessert buffet on Aug. 10, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring angel food cakes, peach cobblers, peach ice cream and more. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for kids between 7 and 12. Tickets can be purchased at the door with cash or checks, or by calling the church at (856) 589-0874.
Peaches used in the dishes come from local peach farmers in and around Harrison Township, some have donated bushels of the fruit to the event.
“We have a lot of donations from area markets,” said Carol McGrath, who’s organizing this year’s festival. “We have a food display to buy an item to take home such as pulled pork, sandwich platters, and hot dogs.”
Sandwich platters, she added, will be sold from $4 to $5 to keep costs down for families. Within it, families have the option of adding on a side salad, coleslaw or chips.
Baked items and whole peaches will also be available for purchase.
During the evening’s buffet, McGrath added there will be basket auctions with approximately 25 baskets available.
“We have gift certificates from Target, ShopRite, pizza restaurants, Wendy’s, farmers, Dippy’s, etc.,” she added. “Some other items could include a store-centered basket such as ice cream toppings, lottery ticket basket, Hand and Stone, etc. It’s mostly local businesses that donated or church members purchased.”
Alongside the basket auction will be a table holding loose craft items for people to purchase such as cutting boards, blankets and other knickknacks.
All of the proceeds from the event go toward the church’s numerous missions and charitable events.
“We do things such as Peter’s Pantry and any other charitable drives we do,” McGrath said. “They donate to Kids Alley as well. Some of the money goes to Pitman United Methodist, African missionaries. It all gets split up.”
She added her favorite thing about the festival is seeing people feast on the food she, her husband and other church members spend hours making.
“It’s fun and brings not only the church members, but also the community,” said McGrath. “We hope to bring the community into the building and be together.”
