Maplewood Donates Holiday Bazaar Proceeds to Lap Robes for Veterans

Our Annual Holiday Bazaar took place on November 21st and 22nd. This event is very dear to our hearts – it was started over 15 years ago by a group of residents who wanted to give back to their community. It’s a wonderful event where Maplewood residents, families, friends, staff, volunteers and neighbors come together for some holiday shopping while raising money for a selected charity.

Planning typically begins about a year in advance as we line up our group of vendors. Then, as the event nears, we kick into high gear. We couldn’t do it without the help of our many volunteers who get involved with planning, running the event, set up and clean up.

For the third year in a row, we chose Lab Robes for Veterans as our benefitting charity. This group, which runs solely on donations and volunteers, has provided all Maplewood veterans with cozy lap robes, made with fabrics that depict the military branches in which they served. The group’s leader, Nancy Vanappledorn (pictured) attended the Bazaar, displaying the lap robes and providing information about the charity.

The Bazaar featured 12 different vendors selling high-quality merchandise including home goods, crafts, confections, knitwear, jewelry and more! There were also several raffles and a bake sale featuring homemade goodies baked by staff, volunteers and family members.

We stayed busy both days and are thrilled to report that we raised $1500 in proceeds, which was recently donated to our charity!

We’re already looking forward to doing it again next year!