On Saturday November 17th, Lon Gibson and I put on a benefit concert for Philabundance. Liz Quinton, a fellow member of the church I attend, came up with the idea last year to have an activity to gather food for Philabundance. This year we expanded the activity with a benefit concert for singles in the area. The concept was simple, come enjoy a night of music: price of admission = canned and boxed food items. A significant amount of food was donated to try and help the many people that face hunger every day in the Delaware Valley.
I learned from the Philabundance website that “more than a quarter of the food in the United States goes to waste each year.” Also within the Delaware Valley, Philabundance has experienced 26 percent more people coming to them for food compared to last year. Growth and integration with the Philadelphia Food Bank in 2005 made Philabundance the region’s largest hunger relief organization.
It was fun organizing and putting on the concert, and it felt good to try and do some good. Lon’s performance on cello and piano was phenomenal, and I tried to hold my own. It was an enjoyable evening for those that attended. But more importantly, those that attended were able to make a difference in the lives of folks in the area with the donations that were received.
–Mark Salyers