PILOT MOUNTAIN — A pair of local civic organizations is joining together to host a sales campaign that will allow the community to provide each with critical support in the coming weeks and months.

The Pilot Mountain Cardinal Little League Football program has joined with Neighbor 2 Neighbor, a local organization committed to providing help to residents with need, for a project that will attempt to meet the fundraising challenges faced by each group.

The programs have combined to offer 16-ounce insulated “Thermosteel” cold cups, complete with sealable lids and durable straws, for sale at several area businesses. The cups come in the familiar Cardinal red and bear each organization’s names and emblem along the names of other sponsor businesses. Business sponsors include Advance Auto, Eagle Carports, McDonalds of Pilot Mountain and King, Mock Beroth Tire Group, Nationwide Insurance, Progressive Technologies and Verizon.

The cups are available for $10 at area businesses including Simmons Insurance Agency/Nationwide Insurance, Southern Community Bank, Edd Lindley Auto Sales and Chelli & Associates. As an incentive, cup owners will be entitled to a free drink at this year’s Pilot Mountain Cardinal Little League homecoming game on Sept. 11. Other sponsor promotional offers also are available in some cups.

According to representatives from both organizations, the cups have been available for several weeks with a majority of sales expected to have occurred during the recent Neighbor 2 Neighbor car show. The effort received a major setback, however, when rains curtailed attendance at the traditionally popular event.

“Now,” explained Edd Lindley, owner of Edd Lindley Auto Sales and a charter member of the Neighbor 2 Neighbor organization, “we need people to buy a cup and help us help other people.”

The fundraising effort also has taken on an added significance for the Pilot Mountain Cardinal program. According to Pam Morgan, owner of Simmons Insurance Agency/Nationwide Insurance and coach of the Cardinal cheerleading program, funding for the Little League program has been hurt this year by the earlier cancellation of two planned fundraisers. Expectations were high for a planned motorcycle rally, but that event was rained out. In addition, a benefit golf tournament became a victim to the economy after a sufficient number of hole sponsors couldn’t be found.

“Normally,” Morgan explained, “as we get ready for the season we try to have $5,000 to $10,000 on hand. We don’t have that. That’s money for football and cheerleading uniforms and equipment and this is the only fundraiser we have going on right now.

“We want to avoid raising registration fees and this will help,” she continued. “We want this to be available to the kids. We’re the only cheerleading group in town. We probably need to sell about 250 more cups to meet our program needs.”

According to Lindley, the Neighbor 2 Neighbor organization faces a similar dilemma. The group has been able to help more than 140 families over the past two years with emergency needs including auto repairs, groceries, fuel oil, prescriptions, funeral costs and electric bills.

“Because of the rain,” he noted, “what we raised at the car show was probably cut in half. If we have a bad winter and there’s a lot of people in need, it could be tight. We could run out of money and we don’t want to do that. We want to be able to meet needs.

“If we can sell these,” he continued, “I feel like we’ll be able to meet the need. It just takes a little bit of involvement from everybody.”