Rockin' for the Food Pantry Benefit Concert on Saturday, May 2 at Jesse Lee in Ridgefield

 

"Rockin' for the Food Pantry" - Jesse Lee Church, Martin Hall - Sat. 5/2 @ 7pm

Local scout, Jack Shields, is organizing a benefit concert/food drive to support the Ridgefield Food Pantry. The concert will feature local high school bands who have donated their time and talent for the cause. Attendees are asked to bring a minimum of 2 non-perishable food items or personal care items in lieu of an admission fee. 

The needs of the Ridgefield Food Pantry have been mentioned several times in the news in recent months.  In past years the holiday food drives have collected enough goods to fill the pantry through the Spring and Summer. However, this year the pantry shelves were running very low heading into March.

Tony Phillips, Director of Social Services, suspects that the brutal winter really hurt the budgets of some families that needed to spend more of their income on heat, leaving less money for food. Spring and Summer are typically lean months for the pantry as many of the donors leave town during this time. Mr. Phillips said that our community does an exceptional job at supporting the pantry. Many groups contribute throughout the year; communities of faith, scouts, service clubs, individual donors, condo associations, realtors, Stop & Shop, Rotary Club, and more. 

According to Mr. Phillips, there are approximately 100 households that rely on the food pantry between a 1-2 month time period. This is a total head count of roughly 300+ individuals, depending on the month. The number of families has grown in recent years. In fact, the United Way recently published a report suggesting that there are about 300 Ridgefield households that are living below the poverty line. The report also suggests that another 800 households are living check to check and just above poverty levels.  Depending on the number of individuals living in each household, that could be close to 2000 individuals living at or below the poverty line in our community.  

Many Ridgefielders may be surprised to hear these numbers. When you hear of struggling families, most likely Ridgefield doesn't cross your mind. However, there are struggling families in every town. The majority of these households include single seniors, families with 3 or more children and single parents. Many of the individuals have suffered recent job losses, or are still trying to recover from the recession. Others may be unable to work due to illness or being a full-time caregiver for a family member. 

After meeting with Mr. Marconi and Mr. Phillips and learning about the Pantry needs, Jack decided to organize the "Rockin' for the Food Pantry" concert.  Jack, a Life Scout with Boy Scout Troop 76, is a junior at RHS and an Eagle Scout candidate. Nationally about 7% of all boy scouts achieve the Eagle Scout rank. In order to achieve the Eagle Rank, the highest rank in scouting, the scout must meet several requirements, participate in a certain number of community service hours and ultimately complete the Eagle Project. The Eagle Project is a leadership project which benefits the local community.   "I am a musician and I knew I wanted to create an Eagle Project that would both benefit the town and be connected to music. The goal of the concert is to provide the Pantry with enough items to help keep it stocked through the summer months," said Jack. 

"Rockin' for the Food Pantry" is being held at Jesse Lee Church, Martin Hall, this coming Saturday, 5/2 @ 7pm.  The concert will feature local high school bands who have donated their time and talent for the cause. In lieu of an admission fee, attendees are asked to bring a minimum of 2 non-perishable food items (Stop & Shop gift cards are appreciated too) or personal care items from the below list that will go directly to the pantry. 

Non-Perishable Food Items - Cereal, Jelly (all flavors), Oatmeal, Canned Fruit, Tomato Sauce (cans or jars), Canned Meats (tuna, chicken breast, ham/spam), Cooking Oil (small bottles), Crackers, Cookies, Fruit Snack Packs, Snacks/nuts/raisins (for kids lunches)

• Personal Care Items - Shampoo, Conditioner, Bar Soap/Body Wash, Toothpaste
• Other - Toilet Paper, Cleaning Products, Laundry Detergent
• Stop & Shop Gift Cards are welcome too!