100-Year-Old Woman Uses Her Milestone Birthday to Try and Raise $100K for Local Food Pantry
Mar. 15, 2025Rosemary Dexter.Photo:GoFundMe
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GoFundMe
Rosemary Dexter, of Atascadero, Calif., celebrated her 100th birthday on Tuesday, Jan. 7, according toThe Atascadero News.
Knowing it was “a very special day,” Rosemary used the opportunity to raise money for a food pantry known as Atascadero Loaves and Fishes (ALF), according toNBC affiliate KSBY.
Shortly before her special day, Rosemary and her family launched aGoFundMe campaignto request donations for the food pantry.
According to the GoFundMe organizers, her goal is to provide “a larger, more efficient space for serving our neighbors” and “ensure that the growing needs of our community can be met with dignity and care.”
Rosemary Dexter.GoFundMe
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Rosemary matched the first $30,000 raise for ALF. By her birthday, $67,000 of the $100,000 had been raised — and donations are still being accepted.
Rosemary spent years as a volunteer and supporter of ALF, which her late husband Rollin Dexter co-founded in 1984.
She only stopped volunteering at the food pantry in her 90s when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“We came here to start the Methodist Church and he and three other pastors saw that they needed to have some place for people to go get food," Dexter told KSBY.
But ALF still holds a special place in Rosemary’s heart. And over the last few months, members of the community have shown up to support her and the charity she loves.
“Week after week for the last few months, there have been many more donations, many of them in special envelopes that say ‘Rosemary,’ " said ALF Secretary and Treasurer Linda Albright.
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Anyone interested in donating to ALF can visit the GoFundMe page or mail a check to ALF, 5411 El Camino Real, Atascadero, Calif., 93422.
Cheques made out to ALF should have “Rosemary’s 100” in the memo line, according to organizers.
source: people.com
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