Hungry philanthropists dressed in their Southwestern best hung out at The Lot for the first-ever Spirit of Taos, a fundraiser hosted by Friends of the Wilkinson Center. The East Dallas restaurant-bar is just minutes from Munger Place Church, where Wilkinson Center got its start as a food pantry in the church basement nearly 32 years ago.
Event chairs Cathy Brittingham Saxon and Missy Huber and honorary chairs Ann and Bob Dyer welcomed guests first to a cocktail reception, where everyone had their drink of choice and some passed appetizers. A casual seated dinner followed, with tacos, brisket sliders, yuca fries and Emporium Pies.
To continue with the fundraising, attendees — including Melanie Myers, Anne Reeder, Meredith and Jeremy Zidell, Liz Stutts, Stephanie Taylor, and Matt Muckleroy — bought raffle tickets for a chance to win a variety of amazing prizes, including a cooking celebration at Onion Creek Kitchens at Juniper Hills Farms in Blanco, Texas; custom artwork; and Taos-inspired jewelry.
As with any good Friday-night affair, the music kept the crowd energized. It started with Frank in the Middle, who passed it off to Melody Guy. After dinner, when it was really time to dance, headliner Michael Hearne stepped in to take it home. And it wasn’t just Young Friends of Wilkinson Center members out on the dance floor: Everyone proved they still had the moves.
The Wilkinson Center relies on events like the Spirit of Taos to support its mission to create pathways out of poverty by serving more than 14,000 individuals each year through its program areas of food and emergency services, adult education, family enhancement and children’s services.
Kate Looney Walters, Sloan Looney Dix
