FoodStock to fight hunger: Bands come together to help food pantries
"Band members and organizers of FoodStock feel to be a cog in something turning, as Joni Mitchell's song 'Woodstock' described meaningfulness amid the 1969 phenomenon.
The crowd drawn to St. Patrick's County Park for the FoodStock 2010 benefit concert Saturday will push the wheel of progress toward a well-fed Michiana.
The event will provide funds to nourish those in need through People Gotta Eat, the United Way of St. Joseph County initiative to help the 18,000 people who currently rely on area food pantries - a conservative estimate, according to Karen Sommers, United Way vice president for community investment.
"We want to raise money, of course, but also want to raise awareness, consciousness for people who are suffering in these economic times", said Don Gentner, guitarist and vocalist for Inta da Bluez, one of four bands that will play the event from 1 to 8 p.m.
Also performing will be Soul Funkshun, Vyagra Falls and Kennedyâs Kitchen.
"There are all kinds of people suffering, so it makes sense for the music to be diverse", Gentner said of the mix of blues, soul, funk, rock and Irish music on tap."... and we hope to have a diverse group of people together to support it".
The family-friendly event will include a bounce house and 14 children's games.
Gentner, a psychotherapist, planted the seed for FoodStock 2010 along with Inta da Bluez drummer Chris Spychalski when they learned about People Gotta Eat and brought the idea for a benefit concert to Sommers.
"They wanted to use their talent to give back to the community", said Sommers, expressing a common theme of the participating bands.
"That's mainly why our band is together", said Rocky Geans of Vyagra Falls, a rock 'n' roll band whose central purpose is benefit concerts. The band consists of six medical professionals and Geans.
Appropriately, Inta da Bluez plans to perform The Beatles' "Come Together", Gentner says.
"I love these sorts of things when people from very different walks of life all see how important an issue is and want to help and everybody works together", Sommers said.
United Way hopes to raise $40,000, and continue FoodStock as an annual event. The money raised will go directly to purchase food, with an anonymous donor matching every dollar raised.
"That's going to mean a lot of food at a really challenging time, as people's unemployment insurance is running out", Sommers said.
In this time of great need, food pantries are experiencing fewer food and monetary donations, she added.
People Gotta Eat convened 17 local food pantries two years ago, and has raised $300,000, while helping the Food Bank of Northern Indiana to better serve the pantries through improved food delivery and distribution methods.
The FoodStock name was the brainchild of Dennis Kaplan, a grant writer for Family & Children's Center, whose CEO Bruce Greenburg was among the organizers of People Gotta Eat. When names were being considered for the benefit concert, Kaplan made the connection between the Woodstock music festival and grass-roots efforts to keep Michiana food pantry shelves well-stocked.
"As FoodStock 2010 was coming together it reminded me of what it was like in the '60s when people just got together to do something great, and have a little fun. They saw a need and said, 'Let's do something', and it was spontaneous. Wavy Gravy would be proud".
Nonperishable food items will also be collected at the concert. Food, beverages and alcohol will be available for purchase. To purchase tickets by phone, or request information about sponsorship, call Keith Sarber at United Way at (574) 232-8201, ext. 226."
Excerpt taken from the July 13, 2010 South Bend Tribune article, "FoodStock to fight hunger" by Trish Dowling, Tribune Correspondent. Click here to view the article in the South Bend Tribune.
