The Corner Room State College Fundraising Campaign

In less than three months, through the sale of over 1,300 art prints, this campaign raised $6,635 to help the State College community during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic

When I partnered with the Corner Room to help support their weekly grocery donations through the sale of my artwork, I had no idea of the community coalition that was about to  form. 

In April, I agreed to donate $5 from every Penn State print sold to help fund the free groceries that the Corner Room restaurant in State College was donating to struggling community members during the pandemic.

Our unspoken goal was $500.

Over the course of 11 weeks, The Corner Room was able to distribute over 2,200 meals to State College residents as well as $2,500 in gift cards to Mclanahan’s market. The Corner Room continued to give to the community despite not being able to welcome guests into their restaurant due to the pandemic. 

Community members expressed their appreciation for the selflessness of the Corner Room and have begun to return the favor as they are now choosing to dine at the Corner Room as a nod to the restaurant's service to the community. One individual even ordered 60 meals for local hospital workers after seeing how The Corner Room selflessly served the community through the crisis.

Once the Corner Room reopened to the public on June 5th, they were logistically unable to continue distributing meals in the same way they had been the last 11 weeks. However, we knew there were plenty of deserving nonprofit organizations who would be able to distribute the remaining funds to community members in need. 

Centre Safe is an organization in State College that aims to end all forms of domestic violence and empower survivors to live a life free from the anxiety of this violence. During their last fiscal year, Centre Safe provided services to over 1,300 individuals who had encountered domestic or sexual abuse. 

To help empower Centre Safe to continue to serve the community, we were able to donate $2,180 in Mclanahan’s gift cards that will be used to help provide meal assistance to survivors of domestic violence. 

The ARC of Centre county is a nonprofit in State College that protects the human rights of individuals with special needs while supporting their full inclusion in the community. 

Due to the pandemic, the ARC was having a difficult time funding their annual picnic. Incredibly, we were able to approach the ARC and offer to fully fund their entire picnic so that their members could have a special day together during an exceptionally lonely season. 

The Corner Room donated their time to prepare over 100 sandwiches, chicken tenders, as well as fruit and vegetable trays while Subway and Mclanahans have generously donated chips and cookies for the event. 

After all the service and hope that came to the community through these funds, there was still a surplus of funding that we were able to donate directly to the State College food bank.

I look back at this campaign completely humbled by the love and generosity that has been exhibited by people simply helping other people. Even with all the negativity and challenges we face every day, let this be a reminder that a little kindness can go a long way in bringing hope and joy to a community and a world in need of a little neighborliness. 

Do you know a nonprofit that would benefit from using artwork in a fundraiser? Let's talk about how together, we can make the world a better place.

Click here to learn about the fundraising process and how to utilize artwork to support your organization.