Grace, Abby, Meredith, Pat and Patrick LaVecchia

Judi, Judy and Scott Minium, and Abbie Gallagher

The seventh annual Village Project gala, “Nourish: A Recipe for Hope,” welcomed 170 guests in support of the organization’s mission.
Village Project is a community of people of all ages who come together to provide nourishing meals and extended care and services to neighbors experiencing cancer. More than 40,000 meals have been served to more than 400 families in Avon, Avon Lake, Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake. Village Project utilizes the skills of over 600 volunteers from ages two to 90 to serve through gardening, cooking, shopping, delivery, yard care and client relations. This year’s gala raised close to $80,000.
Sherri Reilly, the 2022 Adult Volunteer of the Year, has been Village Project’s garden leader for the past 11 years. With a background in Outdoor Education and a degree in Elementary Education, Reilly

Luanne Cantor, Sherri and Bill Reilly, Liam, Katie, Irene and Lee Szambecki

organizes and plans the layout of many plots at the Bay Village Community Garden. She organizes the adult volunteers to help weed and water the plots. She guides and teaches children and adults in every aspect of organic gardening, including harvesting herbs and vegetables, cutting flowers and collecting seeds for later planting.
Geoffrey Gruenke, Student Volunteer of the Year, is a 17-year-old Bay High School junior who participates in numerous school activities and generously donates his time in the Village Project kitchen as often as he can.
The Community West Foundation was awarded the 2022 Community Partnership Award for its dedication to supporting organizations that provide the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and medical care in Cleveland, western Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.
The goal of Village Project, established in 2010, is to teach skills that encourage service and to foster healthy living. STORY BY CYNTHIA SCHUSTER EAKIN/PHOTOS BY ERIC EAKIN