A "Home for the Holidays" auction will be Friday, November 21, at Little Bear East Conference Center in St. Ignace to benefit Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) of Mackinac County. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for social time, with the auction to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Charlie Fowler of St. Ignace will auction off a wide range of items, including gift baskets from local businesses, wreaths, and five table-top decorated Christmas trees.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in advance by calling 643-6239, and will also be available at the door. The ticket price includes an auction number, hors d'oeuvres, punch, and assorted wine.

HOME is nonprofit organization supported by grants and two fundraising events each year, the Christmas auction and the Mackinac County Home and Garden Show. The organization's goal is to support projects to help Mackinac County become a place where all people live in adequate, affordable homes.

In the past seven years, the agency has secured more than $1 million in grant money that has been used to build 13 homes, seven in partnership with the LaSalle High School building trades class.

Currently, the organization is pursuing two grants. The first is for funding to help local landlords with costs to rehabilitate rental units, and the second is to provide down payment assistance and rehabilitation funding for first-time homebuyers purchasing homes already on the market.

For more information about HOME's programs or the Christmas auction, call 643-6239.