The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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If You Go

What

Curling event at the Mankato Curling Club. Weilage Brokerage is sponsoring an event with a twofold purpose: teach people to curl, and collect peanut butter for the ECHO Food Shelf.

When

Curling instruction begins at 5:30 p.m., actual curling runs from 6-9:30 p.m.

Where

Mankato Curling Club

Cost

$10 and a jar of peanut butter

 

No knowledge of curling required

Related Photos

  • Barbara Campbell and Scott Weilage, Weilage Advisory Group vice president and president respectively, pose for a photograph at the Mankato Curling Club. The firm will will open its winter company party to the public Friday to help the ECHO Food Shelf. It will be held at the Mankato Curling Club Friday. John Cross

    weilage-echo.jpg

February 14, 2012

Curling for Peanut Butter

By Robb Murray Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — Two great tastes that taste great together?

“We wanted to break up the winter and have a little fun,” said Scott Weilage of his company’s upcoming curling event to bring in peanut butter for the ECHO Food Shelf.

So Friday evening, instead of having the company party they were going to have, Weilage Brokerage will open it up to the public and try to help the food shelf fill a pressing need.

The price of peanut butter has gone way up. And because it’s a staple item at food shelves, the price increases are hitting food shelves especially hard.

Barbara Campbell, vice president of employee benefits, said the idea to turn the curling event into a public peanut butter party was hers. Plus, curling is kind of in her blood. She’s from Canada, ‘eh, where curling is as prominent a winter sport as hockey.

She grew up Winnipeg, where were 15 curling clubs and each one of them were busy all day, all winter long. She even curled in a league while she was in college.

But she says it’s been a while. Roughly 20 years. But she’s hopeful she’ll still have a step or two over her coworkers when it comes to sliding the rock and sweeping.

“I knew that not a lot of people would have curled,” she said, “And I thought it’d be nice to have an activity where people can get to know each other, and it really doesn’t matter if you’re good at it or not.

“All donations are welcome,” Campbell said, “but we wanted to really zero in on the peanut butter.”

This isn’t the first time Weilage Brokerage has tried to help community charities or nonprofits. They sponsored an annual golf tournament for One Bright Star, made donations to CADA House, raised money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and others.

“We’re just trying to get as many people there as we can to support the ECHO Food Shelf,” Campbell said. “If you’re going to have fun, it’d be great to have a charitable twist to it.”

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