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The 2022 Milk Fund Appeal has begun to raise funds required to provide needy families and seniors with a steady supply of nutritious milk through the coming year. Several events benefiting the drive have already started to fill the Milk Fund early on and WOON’s Milk Fund Radio Auction is being conducted from November 25th to December 24th.

Dave Richards, WOON station manager, and longtime Milk Fund volunteer, is already seeing a lot of support for this year’s drive. Area businesses, professionals, and residents have donated hundreds of desirable items and gift certificates, and if that is any indication of what is ahead, Richards said this could be a banner year for the WOON collections overall.

For the past 92 years during the month of December, the station has given airtime to promote related events and to urge its listeners to give monetary donations when they see the familiar milk bottles placed at businesses throughout the area.

In addition to promoting and supporting the Milk Fund events of others, WOON organizes its own fundraiser, a daily on-air auction from 4 – 5 p.m. when station staff auction off donated items.  The auction is broadcast on the radio station's over-the-air signal at 1240 AM and 99.5 FM, streamed with live video on its website www.woonsocketradio.com, simulcast also on the station's Facebook page, and can be seen on your Internet-connected TV on the ONWORLDWIDE live channel on YouTube.


Auction Participants, Please Note: 

1) This is a Radio Auction, not a web auction.  We stream on the web for your convenience, but you must be aware that there is a latency delay on the Internet transmission which we cannot control.  As the minutes dwindle down to sale, do not take timing cues from the web streams or social media.  Use the over the air radio station audio-only. AM 1240 & FM 99.5.

2) All bids are taken by telephone at 401-766-1240 while the auction is on the air.

3) Minimum bids or bid increases are in one (US) dollar increments.

4) This auction is a live broadcast event.  We make every reasonable effort to avoid mistakes.  However, if one should occur, we will extend our best efforts to make it right, but this is not always possible.  In any case, the decision of the auctioneer is final.

Thank you for supporting The Milk Fund.

 

HISTORY

The Milk Fund has its origin through Family Resources Community Action. In the records of the October 7, 1932 meeting of the then "Woonsocket Day Nursery and Children's Home" there is the following; "A discussion was held regarding the demand for milk and the insufficiency of funds to continue to meet the demand. It was voted that the chairman appoint a committee to consider the matter of collecting a milk fund." The burden of $80 - $90 a month had become too great for the organization. At the November 4, 1932 meeting, it was reported that, "Mrs. Edwards had talked with Mr. Charles Palmer of the Evening Call and that he would be very glad to continue the McConnel Memorial for the benefit of the milk fund and would begin it on December first." Under items of especial interest in the minutes of January 6, 1933 was "...the fact that $617.03 had been received for the milk fund". This was the first Milk Fund campaign! Though the amount appears modest by today's standards, milk was selling for $.05 per gallon.