Community organizers are $4,000 short of their goal to fund a year’s worth of sports activities at Boynton Middle School and hope to close the gap Friday with one final fundraiser before the start of the school year.
A food truck and bake sale night is scheduled for Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Mascenic Regional High School parking lot. Organizers say the event will likely push them past their $32,415 fundraising target.
Sports at the middle school were cut from the district budget after voters rejected a proposed $23.9 million spending plan, triggering a default budget of $23.4 million. This marks the third consecutive year the Mascenic School District has operated under a default budget, which uses the previous year’s budget as a baseline, removes one-time expenses, and adds contracted increases.
During an April community meeting, Superintendent Liz Pogorzelski and Mascenic School Board members discussed alternative funding options, with residents favoring a community-led fundraising model. The goal was to secure the entire school year’s sports budget by September.
“We started right after the voting in March,” said Mascenic Athletics Booster Emily Krook. “Four months, we’ve been doing this. It’s taken a lot of volunteers and a lot of generosity, which, thankfully, we have a very generous community.”
Krook said the Boynton Parent, Teacher, Student Organization, the Boosters, and individual community members have hosted fundraisers over the summer.
Efforts included a GoFundMe page, a charity golf tournament, 50/50 raffles hosted by the PTSO during the spring sports season, auctions for local services, a catering event by Angry Cock BBQ, and a donation from the Greenville American Legion Auxiliary. A food truck event held earlier this summer was one of the group’s most successful fundraisers, Krook said.
Friday’s event aims to raise the remaining funds needed for the spring season. Fall and winter sports have already been fully funded.
Featured vendors include Taco Kraze, White Cap Coffee, 603 Shave Ice, Lobster Lovers Food Company, Maggie’s Munchies, Angry Cock BBQ, and LAS Lemonade. Lobster Lovers Food Company will donate $5 for every Maine lobster roll ordered, while other trucks will donate a portion of their evening sales.
The Boynton PTSO will also run a bake sale featuring donated items from local businesses, including Windy Hill Orchard, Sweet Finnish Authentic Finnish Bakery, Selyna’s Sweet & Sourdough Co., and Main Street Pastries in Greenville.
The PTSO will administer the funds and donate them to the district prior to the start of each sports season.