PICKENS — Pickens Rotarians are seeking community support to feed more than 400 hungry children throughout Pickens County.

The Pickens Rotary Club’s Annual Spaghetti Dinner and Auction hopes to raise $12,500 to donate to the Feed A Hungry Child organization. The event is scheduled for March 23 at 6 p.m. at Pickens First Baptist Church.

Items donated include A trip to Asheville and Biltmore House and a week’s stay at Pawley’s Island plus dozens of other big and small items for the silent and live auction. Mike Hendrix of Pickens will serve as auctioneer.

Feed a Hungry Child started a little more than two years ago after then school principal, Kathy Brazinski noticed a large number of her students going to the health room at A.R. Lewis Elementary School.

“My office was near the health room, and I noticed a lot of children going to the nurse complaining of stomach ache. I asked the nurse to track the students and dates and times of the complaints,” Brazinski said.

The common link of the survey showed up complaints mostly on Monday mornings after 9 a.m.

“When we talked to the students, we found out they had not eaten over the weekend. That was for a variety of reasons, there was no food in the refrigerator, parents were not at home, a variety of reasons.”

Brazinski and others formed Feed a Hungry Child to raise money for food for the children over the weekends.

The children could get food through the free and reduced lunch program during the wee, but went hungry on weekends.

“We go monthly to Golden harvest Food Bank and buy food that is given quietly to the children on a weekly basis, Brazinski said. The food amounts to four meals for the weekend days.

Tickets to the dinner and auction cost $10 each and can be obtained from any Pickens Rotary Club member, The Easley progress office, Pickens Savings and loan, The Stockade in Pickens, NAPA in Pickens