On Monday, December 10, 2012, St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters held their Thirteenth Annual “Doodle for Hunger” Celebrity Art Auction. Colorful and original signed works of art, or “Doodles”, created by celebrities such as Paul McCartney, John Travolta, Donald Trump, Peter Max, LeRoy Neiman, Cher, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Betty White, Mariano Rivera, Martin Sheen, Yoko Ono, Mort Kunstler, Yogi Berra, Glenn Close, and many more were auctioned off at Pier Sixty/Chelsea Piers in New York City.
The event, which was presented once again by Margo and John Catsimatidis, featured a tribute to the late LeRoy Neiman, legendary sports artist, with a special presentation to his wife, Mrs. Janet Neiman. The evening’s Guest of Honor was Tony Danza, actor, teacher and author, and hosted by Fox 5 News Anchor, Ernie Anastos.
Over 600 guests enjoyed a cocktail party, Doodle preview, silent auction and live auction led by acting great Tony Lo Bianco and Kathleen Guzman, professional Auctioneer and Managing Director of Heritage Auctions New York. It was a wonderful evening that raised over $600,000 in support of St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters – which serves over 10,000 poor families in New York and New Jersey each week.