Devon Horse Show goes virtual, holds food drive and fundraiser for health care workers

Beccah Hendrickson Image
Monday, May 18, 2020
Devon Horse Show goes virtual, holds food drive and fundraiser for health care workers
The Devon Horse Show has gone virtual this year and proceeds will help health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus.

DEVON, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- This should be the week more than 100,000 people visit Devon in Chester County, Pennsylvania for the oldest multi-breed horse competition in the country. This should be the week the show raises about $400,000 for Bryn Mawr Hospital. Instead, this week, the Devon Horse Show and Country Fairgrounds are empty, except for a few people dropping off food.

"It's so important to us and it's such a tradition. It's a 125-year tradition and especially all the more special this year because of all the hospital is doing in our community," said Eileen Devine, the co-chair of the fair.

While the show itself will have to be virtual, Devine said the workers still wanted to find a way to support the hospital, so they organized a food drive for the frontline workers.

"Whatever it is, we've been really blessed to have everybody in the community rally behind the frontline workers in the hospital," said Michael Criscuolo, the executive director of the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation.

The fair is also doing an online fundraiser where the money will go to making hot breakfasts for hospital workers. They don't expect to raise nearly as much money as a normal show but they hope this helps.

"They're going to miss the camaraderie, they're going to miss the friendship, they're going to miss seeing each other in person," said Criscuolo. "We're gonna lose that this year, but we're not going to lose the meaning behind it. The true meaning of why everyone comes to Devon and helps out."

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