“We like to keep it reasonable because we have a lot of local people who come out and enjoy and support us,” Ashley explained. Because many local boaters like to participate, the run is open to all boats and the entry fee is only $75. This year’s title sponsor is Campbell Crane Rental, Inc., and Ashley said Old Stone Tractor is providing a great deal of support as well. “We have everything from 18’ runabouts to million-dollar catamarans,” said Ashley. The Harwell Lake run started in 2010 and has grown to more than 200 boats in 2016 with 206 official entries.
“Last year, we netted about $56,000,” said Meals on Wheels Anderson Executive Director Laurie Ashley, who is also managing the poker run this year.
The program does not receive state or federal funding and it provides a valuable service for the elderly in Anderson, delivering food Monday through Friday for homebound elderly residents of Anderson and frozen meals for the weekends. Virtually every poker run around the country has a charity that benefits from the event, but few have as direct of an impact as the Hartwell Lake Poker Run Benefitting Meals on Wheels-Anderson in South Carolina ( The poker run, which will be held on June 22-24 weekend in Anderson, S.C., is the primary fundraiser for Meals on Wheels in that community.
