Church clears thousands in auction for seniors' needs

Pastor Jim Coyle said the need to help area seniors is great.

“One in nine seniors is hungry,” Coyle said during Neighborhood Church's charity auction Saturday morning for the older adult food pantry and medical accessories closet. Items, from cabinets to velvet chairs to working VHS players were tagged to move. Auctioneer Leo Bonifazi worked under the sun on items ranging from a few dollars to hundreds.

Two people helped Coyle's push to bring more money to the program by donating vehicles for the auction. A 1964 Mercury Comet received plenty of attention and was, ultimately, auctioned off for $800, according to Coyle. Yet a white truck that wasn't as high on attention but very high on function – not to mention low on miles – pulled in $4,000, a major boost to the bottom line.

“I just woke up one night and thought I'm supposed to leave this to the church, in this auction, and it had bothered me for a few days,” said Gene Smith of Cedar Rapids, church member and the man who offered to donate his truck for the cause.

Coyle said his church is fortunate to work with the Witwer Senior Center. Witwer takes care of the hot meals while Coyle wants to offer an improved pantry for older people in need.

“The idea is that every penny we have is to facilitate the unmet needs of our seniors,” Coyle said. He added the total amount of money raised will cover the expense of a handicapped-accessible van used to take people to their medical appointments.

Neighborhood Church has been in northeast Cedar Rapids for about a year. Prior to that, church leaders operated out of a building on 1300 6th Street NW called Ellis Community. The Flood of 2008 led to the church's move to 701 25th Street NE.