Maragas Winery raises money for NeighborImpact on Christmas Eve

Published 11:30 am Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Complimentary mulled wine, spiced popcorn and live music will be supplied at an open house at Maragas Winery and Vineyards on Christmas Eve.

The event aims to help the growing number of those experiencing food insecurity in Central Oregon by raising money for NeighborImpact. In November, the nonprofit provided 62,000 meals — quadruple the number of meals it provided during the same month of the previous year, according to a press release.

“It’s about having people come in and have that warm holiday feeling around Christmas, which can be an incredibly special time of giving and warmth and camaraderie,” said Doug Maragas, winemaker and manager at the vineyard.

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The vineyards are decked for the season and holiday music will be performed by Maragas’ 17-year-old daughter Samantha. She trained at the Boston Conservatory over the summer and has performed solos at Spain’s La Familia Sagrada Basilica, Austria’s Musikverein and New York’s Carnegie Hall, said a press release.

Doug said he hopes the event inspires a spirit of giving. All donations will go directly to NeighborImpact and will be matched by the winery. To make the greatest impact, the winery will only accept monetary donations. In past years, food donations have lacked sustenance or were unusable to the homeless or working poor, Maragas said.

Maragas is a former board member of the now-shuttered Partnership to End Poverty and has supported NeighborImpact through fundraising events for over a decade.

“When you grow up, you figure out that you don’t really need this or that. I get a big kick out of giving something that somebody really needs,” Maragas said. “It’s kind of selfish in a way.”

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Maragas Winery practices Old World wine-making techniques with the inclusion of modern science and technology. Its old-fashioned ingredients of grapes, bacteria and sulfur has earned the wine producer numerous awards from the blind wine competition by the San Francisco Chronicle.

What: Christmas Eve Open House

When: 11:30-3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Maragas Winery and Vineyards, 15523 US Highway 97, Culver

Cost: Free; donations encouraged

Contact: 541-546-5464, info@maragaswinery.com, maragaswinery.com

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