Sprankle's Community Market event raised $17,700 for Salvation Army

A 16-hour fundraiser hosted by Sprankle’s Neighborhood Markets last week raised $17,700 for Salvation Army Food Pantries of Leechburg, Kittanning and Saxonburg.

“It was unbelievable,” said Ryan Sprankle, owner of the Kittanning store and one of the event’s organizers and hosts.

During the Campout for Community fundraiser last Friday, 10% of all sales made between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. was donated to the food pantries.

Meanwhile, Sprankle, his brother, Doug, and father, Randy, hosted a 16-hour “campfire talk” (complete with fake campfire) with various community leaders in the Kiski Cafe, which is located in the Leechburg store. More than 40 community leaders – including county commissioners, nonprofit organizers, local elected officials and others – participated.

Sprankle’s Market raised $8,850 from sales, and Pennsylvania Skilled Games matched every dollar, for a total of $17,700.

“That’s the thing that’s so exciting,” Sprankle said of the market’s contribution. “It’s eight times what we raised last year.”

The markets had hosted a Campout for Community fundraiser in January 2020 for the Armstrong County Community Action Agency. But that event didn’t include the Pennsylvania Skilled Games partnership. It relied on grocery store customers to make a donation and then Sprankle’s matched the amount given by shoppers.

This year’s event raised funds directly from sales, so shoppers didn’t have to give anything extra.

“That was the key this time,” Sprankle said. “They needed groceries; they were going to buy groceries anyway. We weren’t asking them for any extra … that was the magic. We’re definitely going to do that again next year.”

Sprankle said the markets have already committed to another Campout for Community fundraiser in 2022 to benefit Salvation Army Food Pantries. They’re also initiating a year-round fundraiser, encouraging donations to Salvation Army kettles while offering free coffee at all three locations.

Sprankle said the livestreamed portion of Friday’s event was also a success, reaching about 125,000 people on Facebook.

“It’s pretty crazy,” he said. “That’s the most we’ve ever had for one single event.”

He was moved by the sheer amount of people who gave their time and participated.

Sprankle said no one the markets invited turned them down, and in fact several community leaders called and asked to be a part of the event. The Sprankles ended up double-booking many individuals and cutting out breaks to fit as many conversations in as possible.

“I’m just so happy and so moved by everyone that was willing to help,” he said. “From both the counties we operate in, the state representatives, the state senators, members of school board, members of churches, fire chiefs, the mayors of all the towns and on down through community leaders in general, all the different organizations. Nobody turned us down.”

The campout conversations focused heavily on upcoming events that will benefit the three communities and region as a whole. Sprankle said it was striking how many leaders were collaborating, radiating enthusiasm and eagerness for all sorts of different projects.

“I thought it was just cool how everybody came together and just joined forces,” Sprankle said. “They don’t share a lot of common things: separate school district, separate counties.

“But all three communities were one that day, and it was really cool.”