Dishing chili for the cause

Nearly 100 people bought chili in Lewisburg Saturday and raised about $400 for the American Cancer Society's continuing effort to fund research on the disease that's killed millions of Americans.

Annie Arsenault, proprietor of Annie's Restaurant on the Fayetteville Highway served as chief cook and hostess for the fund-raiser as a result of her new-found friendship with Carol Foreman, team captain for the event associated with the charity.

The two women met during Octoberfest, when they talked about the American Cancer Society. Arsenault said she hit upon the idea of the chili lunch as a way of raising money for a good cause and of making her 7-month-old business better known in Marshall County.

Like so many others who have donated time and talent for such charities, Arsenault said the event served as a way to remember a lost friendship.

"My best friend, Cindy Heron, passed away from cancer two years ago," Arsenault said.

Foreman, who may be known among Lewisburg residents as one of the grandmothers whose stood up for skateboarders like her grandson, is a self-described Fitness Guru, a group of wellness advisers who gather for various good causes at the Lewisburg Recreation Center on Mooresville Highway.

Having added Arsenault to the Cancer Society cause, Foreman described the various kinds of chili that were available at Annie's Restaurant on Saturday. They included: white chili with chicken, Yankee chili with onion, southern chili with spices, and Italian chili with pisanos.

Cancer Society volunteer Nancy Tipper reports another Relay For Life event will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 2, in the 31-A Auction Barn on Nashville Highway. Volunteers are currently collecting donations to be sold at auction to raise money to fund research on cancer.

Certificates for reduced prices at various businesses have been received from area merchants, and society friends hope to receive pledges for fresh-basked goods and home-made canned foods from the kitchens of the county's best cooks. Call 931-270-8672 or 931-359-5800 to participate.