The Morels & Memories Mushroom Hunt & Alzheimer’s Fundraiser was started in honor of my mom, Heidi Vanderlinde, in 2016. It is an educational competition centered around a morel mushroom hunt in which participants compete to find the first, largest, and most morel mushrooms for prizes. The event also has live music, food (including a morel-based gourmet dish), beverages, a silent auction, mullein candle making, punch wall games, and an awards ceremony. We close the event with the breaking of the morel mushroom pinata. Over the life of the event, the Morels & Memories team has raised more than $93,000 towards research for a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.
“I choose to support the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and the research they are involved in because my mother found herself on the Alzheimer’s journey at the tender age of 49. It was a life-changing, heartbreaking, and emotionally draining experience for her and our family that I don’t want anyone to have to go through, so we will keep hunting morels to fund research until there is a cure.”
Learn more about Morels and Mushrooms by visiting their website or connecting on Instagram, Facebook and Etsy.