Helping Hand Auction in full swing in Paris

PARIS, Tenn. — One local community is in the middle of an annual fundraiser unique to their county.

For 38 years, one Henry County organization has been hard at work at the beginning of each new year, but not for their own gain but the community’s.

“We started out as another group and could not get funding back here, so we decided to make it all local so the people that apply are all local organizations,” Helping Hand Treasurer Susan Bell said.

The Helping Hand Auction happens the first two months of each year, every day except Sunday, auctioning off everything from baked goods, crafts and even colloidal silver.

“We have had people that have brought live animals out here. We have had pigs and goats and registered dogs,” Bell said.

Helping Hand will fund nearly 90 causes this year, including fire departments, youth programs and medical organizations. All the money raised in Henry County stays in the county.

“There is a lot of organizations that depend on us for their budget, to meet their budget, and so we can do this for like 3 percent of operating costs, which is phenomenal, and so then we give it back to the community,” Bell said.

So far this year, the auction has raised over $131,000. Organizers said they are on track to meet the total they met last year, $350,000.