Farm to Table Dinner
The Compassion Care Network will hold its kickoff event, a Farm to Table Dinner, from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at Bramblewood at Simmons Hickory Farm in McDonald.
The dinner will feature a locally sourced, farm-to-table-style meal, live music by Adam Brock, a Chinese auction and a cash bar with beer and wine from local wineries.
The event benefits the Compassion Care Network, a group of businesses and individuals from Washington County that supports neglected and abused children and animals in the county through the Court-Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA for Kids Inc.) and the Washington Area Humane Society. The two agencies, along with Cranberry Psychological Center of McMurray, joined forces to form the network.
“James Shamlin is the driving force behind this idea because he feels so strongly about animals,” said Kelly Proudfit, executive director of the Humane Society.
Shamlin, a licensed clinical social worker, is the clinical director of Cranberry Psychological Center, with offices in Seven Fields, Pittsburgh and McMurray. He also has a strong passion for helping rescue animals and supporting local shelters.
“James and I were meeting, trying to think of ways to help both animals and children,” Proudfit said. “We really have the same mission for two different groups, and this network represents a coordination between the agencies.”
Their missions are, in fact, similar. Washington Area Humane Society provides shelter, safety and food to orphaned and abused animals of Washington County, with the goal of placing them in loving forever homes, while CASA for Kids advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the Washington County juvenile court system.
Shamlin came up with the idea for the Compassion Care Network.
“I thought of how many businesses out there would be interested in creating a business-to-business network for promoting each other while also supporting the charities that we support,” he said. “If I’m sitting in a lobby or a car dealership and see a sign that they are also giving of their resources for these causes, that’s a business I will be patronizing. It’s a win-win of supporting each other, and more importantly, serving the community.”
Currently, there are about 15 members in the Compassion Care Network, both businesses and individuals.
“We are looking to grow it to other nonprofits in the future, as we bring more and more business partners into the fold,” Shamlin said. “We want to contribute in every way we possibly can, and make as much of an impact as we possibly can.”
Monica Ezzo, business manager at Cranberry Psychological Center, said, “James Shamlin is such a dynamic individual with great ideas, and the best part is, he is living his passion. He loves helping people and it shows.”
The venue for the dinner, Bramblewood, is a large, beautifully decorated barn at Simmons Hickory Farm, a working, family-owned fruit and vegetable farm. It holds 300 people. The Simmons family purchased the farm 10 years ago, and after hosting their eldest daughter’s wedding reception, they decided they would love to share the beauty and experience of the farm with others.
“When we looked at Bramblewood, we fell in love. It’s gorgeous, unbelievable,” Shamlin said.
The Compassion Care Network membership fee of $500 per year is divided between the two agencies and used to directly support programs affecting neglected animals and children, such as therapy dogs for children in court. New members also will receive two tickets to the Farm to Table Dinner. The $100 fee per ticket is tax deductible.
“We hope to sell all 250 tickets,” Proudfit said.
Those interested in purchasing tickets and/or joining the network can visit www.washingtonpashelter.org/compassion-care/.