VALDOSTA – The Easterseals Southern Georgia has a craving to help, a craving that will be satisfied Thursday evening. 

Sweet Charity: Desserts for a Cause is scheduled 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, 527 N. Patterson St.

MaePolly’s Cake Co., The Front Porch, Jack’s Chophouse and Cinnaholic are among vendors that will provide dessert samplings for guests.

Proceeds benefit Megan’s House, a respite program spearheaded by the Easterseals that assists children with developmental disabilities.

“Megan’s House is like a safe haven,” Kristin Baumgartel, Easterseals respite coordinator, said. “We wanted to provide a service for families.”

Megan’s House acts as a temporary home for children who are autistic or have other developmental disabilities.

Children may stay at the house up to two weeks so caregiver families can receive a break. The home serves up to two children at a time.

The program is named after Megan Holloman, a former Easterseals client who died in 2004.

“Her mom saw that there was no outlet for respite at the time, so that’s where it all developed from,” Heidi Bryant, family support coordinator for Easterseals, said.

“Having a child with a disability tends to lead to a lot of stress on the family, so Megan’s mom had this idea of coming up with Megan’s House.”

The Easterseals enrolls more than 300 individuals in its family support program, Bryant said, adding “there’s a high need” in the county for support.

“Just in Lowndes County alone, we have that many to serve, and we’re the largest provider in the state of Georgia for family support and providing services to individuals,” she said.

Megan’s House is run solely from community donations. Sweet Charity will assist with this funding, organizers said.  

Tablets, paintings, a heater, gift baskets and jewelry will be available during a silent auction Thursday evening. Organizers request more items.

Covington’s Dining and Catering will have a coffee bar while Pure H20 USA will provide water. There will also be milk.

Live music and a cash bar will be at the event. Guests of all ages are welcome, organizers said.

Advance tickets are $20 and door tickets are $25. Call (229) 247-6912 for more information and ticket purchasing.