AUBURN - Everyone has to eat to stay healthy.

But more than 100 people ate dinner Sunday to help an Auburn resident get healthy.

Friends, family and hungry guests gathered at the Ukrainian National Club in Auburn for a fund-raising dinner to benefit Tina Currier.

A mother of four, Currier was recently diagnosed with Acute Myelocytic Leukemia.

The dinner was held as a way to help support Currier and her family as she receives treatment at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.

She is currently undergoing chemotherapy, and she could receive a bone marrow transplant, said her sister, Janice Regis, who also helped organize the dinner.

Approximately 150 people attended the event, which lasted from 1 to 5 p.m. and featured a pasta dinner, dancing and a full bar.

Though Regis said Sunday that she did not know how much had been raised, the dinner's proceeds will go toward medical, travel and lodging expenses for Currier; her husband, Gerald; and her children, Daphne, Gerald Jr., Eric and Christina.

“There are more people here than we expected, especially with that football game on,” Regis said, referring to the AFC championship game that was also taking place Sunday afternoon.

John McCall, Currier's father, said he met some people at the dinner he didn't even know.

“We're almost about to run out of food,” McCall joked. “We're really thankful for all the people who are coming.”

Dozens of items were raffled and auctioned off through the afternoon, including multi-day packages at local hotels, sports memorabilia and themed gift baskets.

All of the items were donated by area businesses.

Art Wenzel did the auctioneering and led the festivities as the event's master of ceremonies.

Local DJ Brad Smith provided the tunes, which featured a mix of county music, hip hop and top 40 hits.

“The family got all these items and put the gift baskets together themselves,” said Wenzel, who often hosts benefit events like Sunday's. “It's a beautiful thing.”

Moravia resident Suzanne Head doesn't know Tina Currier, and had never met her family before the dinner.

She heard about the fundraiser while shopping in Auburn, and thought it would be a nice way to spend her afternoon.

“Everyone needs a little help sometimes, whether you know them or not,” Head said. “I love helping people. And when I leave here, I'll feel a little like a part of the family.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.

How to help

Contributions can still be made to the Tina Currier Fund at 11 Case Ave., Auburn, N.Y. 13021.