Once a year, ordinary generosity turns into something a child can feel: a meal, a school year, a safe place to sleep tonight.
BIDDING OPENS
October 25,
6:00 PM
BIDDING CLOSES
From 7:45 PM,
November 8
LIVE EVENT
Doors 6:00,
Begins 6:30
WHERE
Heart of Life Church,
Garden City, MO
NEW THIS YEAR:
Everything Closes Together
In past years, lots closed one at a time across the evening. This year they close together, starting at 7:45 PM on November 8.
Starting is the operative word. If a lot takes a bid in its final three minutes, that lot gets three more minutes — and it keeps extending, up to half an hour, until three minutes pass with nobody bidding. So nothing gets won by swooping in at 7:44 and fifty-nine seconds, and nothing you wanted slips away because you stepped off to get a plate of food.
What that means for you: the two weeks before November 8 are your preview. Go through the whole catalog with no pressure at all, decide what you actually want, and set your maximum bids. The site then bids on your behalf, up to your number, straight through the final minutes and any extensions. You can stand in the room and talk to people instead of staring at a phone.
And if you do want to fight for something at the end, you will get a fair shot at it. That is what the extra minutes are for.
This Year’s Headline Lots
Alaska by Sea
Seven days for two through the Inside Passage, with the ship slipping inside Glacier Bay National Park itself to watch the ice calve. A balcony stateroom, all taxes and port fees, and $1,000 toward your flights. Twenty-four months to travel, booked around you by our in-house travel agent.
Opening bid $4,890 · See the full listing →
Three Nights in a Storybook Village
A cottage outside Knoxville with a round purple door, a butterfly loft, and room for four. Audio tours, hiking trails, and games all over the property are included — and this is one of the few dwellings where the dog or the cat can come too.
Opening bid $1,575 · See the full listing →
ALSO AT AUCTION
And a Great Deal More
Signed sports memorabilia. Handmade quilts and heirloom ornaments. Experiences and services from local businesses, gift baskets, tools, a Garmin smartwatch, and a long list of things our community gave because they wanted a child to be fed and safe. New items are still going up between now and October 25.
How Bidding Works
- About a minute: your name, an email address we verify, and a phone number if you want one. No payment information at sign-up.
- Anyone with the link can browse the full catalog without signing up, so send an item to a friend who would love it.
- Once registered, build a watch list as you browse so everything you are interested in waits in one place.
- The site lets you know. Add your phone number at sign-up and that notice can come as a text, so you are not refreshing the page all evening.
- Enter the exact amount you want to bid, or set a maximum and let the site bid for you up to that number. With everything closing at once, maximums are the easiest way to stay in the running on more than one item.
- Lots begin closing at 7:45 PM on November 8. A bid in a lot’s last three minutes adds three more, up to thirty minutes, so no one wins by sniping and no one loses by blinking.
- A few items have a buy-it-now price. A handful of listings also have more than one available, so more than one person can walk away happy.
- The whole thing works on your phone, and winners can pay by credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
Join Us on November 8
The Evening
The live event closes out the auction in person, and we would love to have you there. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the evening begins at 6:30 at Heart of Life Church in Garden City, Missouri. It falls on Orphan Sunday November 8, which is the whole reason for the date.
There is no cost to attend. Food will be served, children are welcome, and you do not need to be a bidder to come — plenty of people turn up simply to be part of the evening. Lots start closing at 7:45 and the last of them can run to about 8:15, so come early enough to eat, visit, and see the items in person before the end.
The 50/50 Raffle
Half the pot goes home with one winner. Half goes to the children in our care. Last year’s pot was $883, and the more tickets sold, the bigger it gets for everybody.
Just One is $5. The Handful is $20 for five. The Arm’s Length is $50 for twenty.
Tickets are on sale now and we’ll keep selling them in person at the event, right up until 7:30 PM on November 8. One name gets called that night — and you don’t have to be in the room to win. We’ll call and email.
Where Your Money Goes, and Questions
Where Your Money Goes
Every dollar raised goes to the caretaking of the children living in our shelters: food, safe housing, education, medical care, and the daily love they deserve. No administrative salaries or overhead expenses are supported by these fundraising efforts.
An auction basket becomes a month of groceries. A travel package becomes a school year.
Questions
Reach out to us using the contact form on this site.
New items are still going up until bidding opens October 25.