“Grateful Hearts, Abundant Bids: Celebrating our Beloved Community” – the ESUC Auction 2026 lived up to its name last Saturday night!!! Over 40 volunteers worked on preparing the Sanctuary during the week before and then supported the event at which over 115 tickets were sold and 156 bidders participated in person or online. We’re still calculating the expenses, but initial estimates suggest that the Auction raised a little over $53,000 for East Shore!!!! This figure includes over $21,000 for Fund-a-Need and $3,200 for our Youth program – these may both be record highs!!!!
The Auction is a long-standing tradition in which a significant amount of money is raised to support the operating fund in addition to a special project (Fund-a-Need) and youth tips. The focus for Fund-a-Need this year is the new playground that will be installed soon. The children even paraded in to show us their excitement! If you would like to still contribute to the Fund-A-Need you can do so online or by sending in a check with “Fund-A-Need” clearly marked on the memo line.
The Auction is so much more than a fundraiser, though. It is the ESUC community coming together to contribute in diverse ways to create a singular event, a festive celebration that nurtures our community in the present and into the next year with multiple social events and services that strengthen connections among members and friends of East Shore.
Thank you, thank you, to every individual or group who contributed. Special thanks to Christian Dimaano and our kitchen crew who worked behind the scenes to provide a delicious meal and to every volunteer who made the event run smoothly. I am humbled by the generosity of the ESUC community and thankful that we all work together to make this special event happen!
We are excited to begin planning for our annual East Shore auction! Here are some important dates for you to mark on your calendar:
March 1, 2026 – Procurement Deadline
March 14-21, 2026, Online Bidding Opens
March 15, 2026 – Physical Items Previewed in the Foyer.
March 15, 2026 – Early Bird Event Registration Ends
March 21, 2026 – ESUC Annual Auction
There are many ways you can support our annual auction!
A themed dinner for several guests – what a great way to get to know others!
A group event at a community venue – a winery, spa, restaurant, unique business, etc.
An outdoor group adventure – bike ride, hike, garden tour, boat ride, airplane ride!
Ask your favorite small business if they’ll provide a gift certificate – publicity for them, donation for the Auction!
A lesson on a home DIY topic such as how to wire a light fixture, tile a floor, repair plumbing, fix a hole in the wall, build a rock wall, etc.
A group experience – cooking, gardening, soap making, jam making, etc.
An exercise class – Pickleball, Yoga, Zumba, personal training session, etc.
Dance, music, or voice lessons (you decide how many)
An educational tour – geology, architecture, haunted establishments, whatever you know.
Chores for a few hours – housecleaning, painting, gardening, pressure washing, organizing.
A chauffeur ride – to the airport, errands, appointments, etc.
Tickets to a play, concert, sports event, etc. Can’t use that season ticket? Donate it!
A game night or tournament – poker, tennis, badminton, bridge, etc.
Artists – a commissioned work, consultation, or class.
Professionals – a consultation, class, or professional service.
A kids’ party. Magic, juggling, clowning, baking, Lego building, crafting, storytelling, etc.
A meal, appetizers, drinks, an afternoon tea, chocolate or wine tasting, coffee, Girl Scout cookies, etc. in your home or setting of your choice (you can usually reserve space at East Shore for your event)
Volunteer at the Event: Volunteers are needed in many areas to make our auction a success! We need help with set-up, decorating, food service, check-in, raffle sales, bidding assistance, and clean–up.
Thank you for your support from the East Shore Auction Team:
We are busily planning for our upcoming annual ESUC Auction – all are welcome and childcare will be provided, so put March 21, 2026, on your calendars now! This much anticipated annual event is a celebration of the East Shore community and raises a substantial amount of money for our church operating fund. We are currently soliciting proposals for Fund-a-Need and would love to hear your ideas. Each year we select a project that serves ESUC or the wider community to which Auction participants can donate, typically raising around $12,000 – $15,000. The Auction team will consider all project ideas submitted before January 25th and will choose the one we feel is most appealing to bidders and contributes towards the mission of the church. The team’s recommendation will then go to the Board for approval in February. If you have an idea for a suitable project, please contact Beth Wilson, Auction Chair, at [email protected], to discuss the idea further and learn what we’ll need in a proposal.
You’ll be hearing much more about the auction in the next few months. Please consider supporting this wonderful community event with your contributions and participation!
Your 2026 Auction Team: Sheridan Botts, Kim Coghlan, Elaine Cox, Lauren Crowder, Jeanne Lamont, and Beth Wilson
We’re excited to announce that registration is now open for East Shore’s Auction! Online bidding will open on Saturday March 8. With 115 items to choose from, including everything from book bags to art works, themed dinners to Mariners and Seahawks tickets, and local hikes to vacation home stays, there’s something for every budget and preference. Anyone can participate in the bidding so encourage your friends and family to participate.
Live In-Person Event: Saturday March 15, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Part of East Shore’s mission is to build community. On Saturday March 15, 5:00-8:00 p.m., there’s a wonderful opportunity to participate in the auction and socialize with members and friends of East Shore. Register Now!
The “Live Auction” will be held in East Shore’s Sanctuary, with two professional auctioneers, Jennifer Sill and Arik Korman.
East Shore member Christian Dimaano will be our Executive Chef again this year, and will be cooking up some fantastic dishes for the event, along with a team of volunteer helpers. Vegan and gluten-free options will be offered, so there’ll be something for everyone and it’s sure to be delicious.
This event will be a lot of fun! We encourage you to purchase tickets early to help us know how many people are coming. Tickets are only $15 each for adults to help us offset the costs of the food and wine, with free tickets available for children and those for whom $15 is a hardship. We want everyone to participate, even if you don’t plan on bidding. Free childcare is available so please let us know the ages of your children and your preferences for how long they stay with you, if you’d like to bring them.
This year, we will close the “Silent” online bidding in two sections before and right after the dinner. The “live” bidding will be done at 7:00 p.m. the traditional way, with bid cards. Those online can place their bid numbers in the chat to bid on live items.
Be sure to bring a phone or tablet to use for the online bidding. We recommend that if you still have the Auctria app on your phone from last year, you delete it and then download it again to register for this year’s auction more effectively.
Join Us Online!
If you’re not able to participate in person, be sure to join in the fun online via Zoom. You’ll be able to bid for the “silent auction” items on the Auctria app. For the live auction, you can enter your bid number for the live items in the chat while watching the festivities on zoom. Zoom ID: 845 4905 8981, Passcode: auction
Fund-A-Need: A More Inclusive Welcome
This year’s Fund a Need includes several items which will make the experience of being at church more welcoming and inclusive to all who enter, from first-time visitors to long-time congregants, as well as staff, volunteers, and rental users. These items will refresh and upgrade, showing who we are, our values, and enhance our ability to provide hospitality at church. The Package Includes:
New UU values banners for the foyer ~$500
New accessibility shelving for the items currently in the back corner of the Sanctuary ~$750
New modern, reusable name badges for all members ~$3000 for 500 badges
Refurbished badge holder board, with metal panels to affix magnetic badges ~$800-1,000
New coffee making machines for both the North Room and the Spring Hall kitchens ~$8,000
New coffee service cart on wheels for the foyer ~$1,000
These are all items which have long been needed, but for which we haven’t had the budget in the Operating Fund. Please give generously to support this upgrade!
Volunteer
To help make this event a success, we need lots of volunteers to help, both before and during the live event. We have roles for set up, decorating, cooking, serving food and drinks, tech support, and clean up. If you can help on Saturday March 15, please choose the tasks you can help with on our Signup Genius.
We hope you’re able to help us Lift our Light, and participate in the Auction. Please contact auction chair, [email protected], C: 425-351-6171 if you have any questions about registering or the auction.
“”Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” -Walt Whitman
We need your contributions by February 12!
Some fabulous offerings we want to lift up include a handmade quilt made especially for you, delicious dinners at the homes of members including two with Rev. Maria Cristina, a special case of wine and handmade sausage, a trip to an early 20th century NW art gallery, and so much more.
We invite every member and friend of East Shore to lift up their talents and resources, and participate in whatever way you can. We’re especially looking for dinners and events we can do together to build community, but artwork, gift certificates, gift baskets and homemade food are also always popular. Can your Covenant Circle or Book Group come up with a shared item to contribute?
We need your contributions no later than February 12.
To contribute an item to the auction, fill out our Contribution Form
OR if you want to offer an item you’ve offered before, just email Trevor Hall, our catalog coordinator, or Auction Chair Amanda Strombom.
“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” – Dalai Lama
The East Shore Auction is coming! This annual event raises a substantial amount of money for our church operating fund and brings everyone together for a fun evening event. The best part is that many of the items available to bid on are events for you to participate in during the upcoming year, enabling you to fill your social calendar and connect with others. You can enjoy dinners in people’s homes, hikes, visits to interesting sites, bike rides, family fun, and so much more. The auction items will be available for online bidding starting on March 8 thru March 15, with some special items available for live bidding in a fun evening event at East Shore. All are welcome, childcare will be provided, so put March 15 in your calendars now!
Starting in mid-January, we will be reaching out to ask for your contributions, so start thinking about what you can offer for the auction this year. Dinners and other group events are perfect for building community, and member-to-member services, tickets to special events, gift baskets, homemade food, and valuable unique items are also very popular. Look out for an email or phone call asking what you can contribute!
Fund A Need
Each year at the auction, we offer one project that the church needs funded. All bidders can contribute to this fund during the auction. We typically raise about $12-15,000 for a project. We are currently seeking ideas for suitable projects. The Auction team will consider all ideas submitted in January, and choose the one we feel is most appealing to bidders and contributes toward the mission of the church, before it is approved by the Board. If you have an idea for a suitable project, please contact Amanda Strombom, Auction Chair to discuss the idea further.
You’ll be hearing much more about the auction in the next two months. Please support this wonderful community event with your contributions and participation!
Your 2025 Auction Team: Bill Austin, Jenny Boadu, Sharon Cooper, Elaine Cox, Lauren Crowder, Carrie Curtiss, Trevor Hall, and Amanda Strombom
