A coalition of Midcoast Christian churches are banding together to raise funds for heating assistance for local families. They are holding a public event, “Helping Hands, Heating Homes” at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on Academy Hill Road in Newcastle.
The event will include a spaghetti dinner, silent auction, and concert. The cost to attend all events of the evening is $25 per person. All proceeds will be divided equally between the Ecumenical Council on Homeless Prevention and the Community Housing Improvement Project Inc.
Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the concert will feature a variety of talented Midcoast musicians, including the Water of Life Lutheran Church choir of Newcastle under the direction of Kathy Robitaille; Holly Patterson, a professional oboist from Belfast; the Oyster Creek Fiddlers from Damariscotta under the direction of Kaity Newell; and Sean Fleming, who will be playing organ and piano.
People may come to the concert only, with a suggested donation of $10 per person.
Regardless of the music, the main purpose is to provide heating assistance to neighbors in need.
“There are many families struggling to heat their homes right now”, said Don Sproul, chair of the event and president of the Water of Life Lutheran Church. “This is a great opportunity for the community to come together. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to help local families.”
According to Steve Ward, co-coordinator at the Ecumenical Council on Homeless Prevention, the need for heating assistance is historically high this year. At one point they once served nine families, now the need is for over 60 families.
Anyone looking to support the event can donate items to the silent auction. To make a donation, call Robitaille at 542-7699.
Volunteers are also need to help Feb. 7. People can sign up to volunteer at doodle.com/sign-up-sheet/participate/4bdb19d8-b0bb-426a-9079-9299ffd3bb05/select or by calling Sproul at 441-7778.
To purchase tickets, go to chipinc.org/donate and indicate the donation is for the 4H Dinner. If anyone cannot attend, but wish to donate to the heating assistance fund, they may also do that at this link.
In addition to volunteers from Water of Life Lutheran Church and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, volunteers from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Wiscasset United Church of Christ have been involved in the planning of this event. Representatives from CHIP, Ecumenical Council on Homeless Prevention, Stepping Stone Housing Inc., and the Central Lincoln County YMCA have also assisted.
