Plans are under way for the annual Chili Open Golf Classic fundraiser to be held on the grounds of the Sussex County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Proceeds will benefit Project Give Shelter, a new Project Self-Sufficiency initiative to help Sussex County residents who need emergency temporary shelter or stable housing.

The nearly 20-year-old event recently was handed off to Project Self-Sufficiency by the United Way.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue this popular wintertime event to raise funds to help our neighbors in need,” said Deborah Berry-Toon, executive director of Project Self-Sufficiency.

“Success in becoming self-sufficient is built on a stable foundation of secure and safe housing. It’s difficult to find a job, hold a job, get an education or receive training when you don’t know where you’re going to sleep at night or you must constantly relocate. Project Self-Sufficiency has comprehensive wrap-around programs and the staff to coordinate our efforts with other community providers to assure families and children are not left out in the cold.”

Many individuals and families have been unable to keep up with expenses because of the pandemic, inflation and significant increases in the cost of living and now face losing their homes, Berry-Toon added.

The agency’s Project Give Shelter initiative is part of a longer-range effort to fight homelessness and is designed to aid both renters and landlords. The funds from the Chili Open will be used to provide local emergency shelter, security deposits, rent and utility payments as necessary and appropriate, Berry-Toon said.

For the Chili Open, Project Self-Sufficiency plans to continue to partner with Rotary Clubs in Branchville, Newton and Wallkill to organize and serve breakfast and lunch, staff a cash bar, and provide souvenir photos of the golfers among other event assistance.

“The Chili Open has been driven successfully every year by a strong corps of dedicated volunteers who understand the importance of raising needed funds and having fun while doing it,” said Bruce Tomlinson, dvelopment director of Project Self-Sufficiency and a longtime Chili Open volunteer. “We are very fortunate that those loyal volunteers are continuing to assure the success of the Chili Open and we welcome more to join in.”

The Chili Open Golf Classic is played on a makeshift course at Sussex County Fairgrounds. Golfers play two of the four nine-hole, par-three courses before heading indoors for lunch featuring a variety of fare donated by area restaurants, including a selection of chili, with music from R.E.N.O. the Band, a golf contest, beverages, raffles and a 50/50.

Only the pandemic in 2021 has prevented the Chili Open from being played every year since 2003. Weather conditions have ranged from more than a foot of snow, necessitating plowing of the fairways, to ice and sleet to unseasonably warm temperatures when golfers broke out their short-sleeved shirts.

Registration details and sponsorship opportunities may be found on the Project Self-Sufficiency website at https://www.projectselfsufficiency.org/chili-open