UTICA — St. Joseph and St. Patrick Church, the home parish of Utica’s canonized saint, St. Marianne Cope, is sponsoring a Baskets by Design Extravaganza on Sunday, Oct. 9, to raise funds for improvements at the church.

The basket raffle event, featuring custom-designed gift baskets, ranging in value from $50 to over $100, takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Irish Cultural Center, across the street from the church campus. The raffle drawing starts at 2 p.m. The event also features grand prizes, such as a 55” smart TV, as well as five mini-grand prizes. Admission donation is $6. Raffle tickets start at $1 for baskets valued at $50. Grand prize raffle tickets are $10 each, or $50 for six tickets.

Parish Council President Maria Salamida said the basket raffle is in support of a capital campaign to pay for repairs and improvements, noting that parishioners have been attending services at St. Peter’s Church while repairs are made to the roof.

“We want to keep our church in the best condition possible for generations to come to ensure that our children and grandchildren can walk in the footsteps of Utica’s own canonized saint and Oneida County History Center Hall of Famer, St. Marianne Cope,” said Salamida.

“As one of the key figures in helping to establish St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, her legacy of quality in health care and the legacy of her Franciscan sisters lives on in Central New York’s hospital system today,” added Salamida. “She and her sisters brought those special skills to Hawaii, where they cared for lepers, in the late 1800’s.”

“This church needs to continue standing strong and proud as part of our Utica heritage and as a reminder of the vision and commitment of St. Marianne Cope,” Salamida said.

She said the public could help in several ways:

• Donate a basket (filled with new themed items).
• Give a monetary donation.
• Donate a gift certificate.
• Donate baked goods.
• Buy basket and grand prize tickets.
• Spread the word.
• Pray.
• In other words, “Storm the gates of heaven and raise the roof.”

To donate or get more information, contact one of the co-chairs, Maria Salamida at 315-797-6086 or Rosemary Pezzulo, 315-797-5265.