Penticton furniture business holding silent auction in support of Pathways Addictions Resource Centre

Photo: Contributed

A longtime Penticton business is standing beside Pathways Addictions Resource Centre, holding a silent auction with all proceeds going to the non-profit's fight to survive when Interior Health funding ends at the end of March.

Guerard's Furniture is donating two all-leather, power-recliner chairs for the auction, valued at $2,999 each. All proceeds from the auction will go to Pathways.

"This is all about fundraising for an essential resource that has helped so many in our community," the company wrote on Facebook when announcing the initiative.

"Organizations like Pathways offer compassionate, immediate service and don't force patients to triage, or allow them to slip through cracks in the bureaucracy. Even better, they operate on a shoestring and squeeze every bit of service they can from their modest budgets."

Originally, Guerard's had planned to award the chairs to the highest bidder on March 26, but since community support has been so strong, they have extended the silent auction until April 2.

Anyone interested in bidding and trying out the chairs can drop by Guerard's to fill out a form. The minimum bid price is $1,500 for the set or $850 each.

Pathways learned in early March that 95 per cent of their operating budget would be lost come April 1, as Interior Health transitioned addictions help services in-house.