Mifflinburg benefit auction returns June 6 to support Clinic for Special Children

Families served by the Clinic for Special Children will get another round of local support June 6, when the 14th annual Union County Benefit Auction returns to Buffalo Valley Produce Auction in Mifflinburg. The clinic says the fundraiser helps underwrite care for children and adults facing rare genetic disorders, while also supporting its broader operating budget and monthly outreach work close to home.

The clinic established its Mifflinburg outreach clinic in 2019, where its team sees patients one day a month for non-urgent visits. That local presence has made the auction more than a fundraiser. It is part of the financial support that keeps a rare-disease medical resource rooted in Union County, where families can get care without always having to travel far from home.

This year’s auction will be held at Buffalo Valley Produce Auction, 22 Violet Road, Mifflinburg, PA 17844, with free admission and a schedule running from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers will begin the weekend Friday, June 5, with a flower and tool sale plus a rib dinner from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. On Saturday, breakfast will start at 7 a.m., and auction bidding will begin at 8 a.m.

The sale is expected to draw a wide crowd with a broad mix of items that organizers have deliberately kept family-friendly. Handmade quilts, furniture, plants, tools, gift baskets, toys, farm goods and household items will all be part of the auction, along with a silent auction. Food will be available throughout the day, including barbecue chicken and pork, homemade ice cream, hoagies, soft pretzels and baked goods.

The Clinic for Special Children says the Union County auction is one of seven benefit auctions it holds each year, stretching from Pennsylvania to Missouri. Across that auction circuit, the clinic says the events have raised nearly $22 million since 1990. The organization, founded in 1989, says it operates as a comprehensive medical practice for families facing rare genetic disorders and is part of the Plain Community Health Consortium.

The clinic’s work has grown with demand. A 2024 rural health profile said it was treating about 1,700 active patients with more than 480 unique genetic mutations, a scale that helps explain why recurring community fundraising remains so important. Buffalo Valley Produce Auction, which has operated since 1987, gives the event a familiar local setting and a ready-made gathering place for one of Union County’s most enduring charitable traditions.