On Wednesday, January 13, around 50 generous souls from the Residences at Coconut Point in Estero, Florida gathered to join us in a celebration of music and community to raise funds for the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. As mentioned in my last blog entry, Harry Chapin was not only a prolific songwriter and performer, but an ardent advocate of hunger relief programs not only across the U.S., but worldwide.
With Anna on keyboards (thanks to a loaner from local musician Ron Balogh) and I on acoustic guitar, we performed a two hour benefit concert which raised enough funds to distribute over $7000 worth of food to the needy in Southwest Florida. Our friend, fellow musician and food bank Chairperson, Keith Scoggins started the evening with a talk about the food bank, and an inspiring opening set. Keith also joined us for a rousing sing-along rendition of Neil Young's Helpless at evening's end. Special thanks go out to Keith's hard working partner Diane Sovern for organizing the event, to Leigh Piscitelli for her excellent photos and video, as well as one of our favourite performers, Ft. Myers, Florida-based Americana musician Roy Schneider for the generous offer of his sound system.
Although poverty may not be the first word that comes to mind in association with Florida, the sad reality is that just beyond the monied tourist areas and gated communities, there are many working poor families in need. In this regard, it is worth noting that over 50% of the food distributed by the food bank sustains children and seniors, with the balance to those with disabilities, the working poor, and homeless.
In summary, the evening was a testament to the generosity of the residents of Coconut Point in Estero, Florida and their ongoing commitment to sharing the blessings so many of us enjoy. This was our third opportunity to perform for them, and we look forward to doing it again next year.
With Anna on keyboards (thanks to a loaner from local musician Ron Balogh) and I on acoustic guitar, we performed a two hour benefit concert which raised enough funds to distribute over $7000 worth of food to the needy in Southwest Florida. Our friend, fellow musician and food bank Chairperson, Keith Scoggins started the evening with a talk about the food bank, and an inspiring opening set. Keith also joined us for a rousing sing-along rendition of Neil Young's Helpless at evening's end. Special thanks go out to Keith's hard working partner Diane Sovern for organizing the event, to Leigh Piscitelli for her excellent photos and video, as well as one of our favourite performers, Ft. Myers, Florida-based Americana musician Roy Schneider for the generous offer of his sound system.
Although poverty may not be the first word that comes to mind in association with Florida, the sad reality is that just beyond the monied tourist areas and gated communities, there are many working poor families in need. In this regard, it is worth noting that over 50% of the food distributed by the food bank sustains children and seniors, with the balance to those with disabilities, the working poor, and homeless.
In summary, the evening was a testament to the generosity of the residents of Coconut Point in Estero, Florida and their ongoing commitment to sharing the blessings so many of us enjoy. This was our third opportunity to perform for them, and we look forward to doing it again next year.