It was a night of fun and entertainment focused solely on the Westlock and District Food Bank.
In the end the Friends of the Food Bank March 18 Jeffery Straker concert and wine and cheese event, dubbed Food for Thought, coupled with proceeds from a live auction raised nearly $20,000 for the food bank.
Friends of the Food Bank Kathy Hall said they were elated by the support from the community.
“We’re happy with that. We’re very pleased,” Hall said.
Straker played a selection of his piano-folk-pop music and was a hit with the attendance, while the wine and cheese added a social component to the night.
“I heard lots of good comments about him. Everyone thought he was pretty entertaining and they loved his stories he told before each song,” she said.
“The wine and cheese went very well. It gave people a chance to visit and mingle.”
While the food bank received an always-needed cash injection, those who filled CATS Theatre enjoyed the event.
“And I think everybody had a lot of fun, from the comments we’ve heard. That was one of the goals we had, to make sure everybody had a good time,” Hall said.
“We think for a first-time event it went very well.”
Moreover, Hall said it was also a good reminder to the community about the food bank’s continuous struggle.
“I think it helped create an awareness in the community about the needs of the food bank,” she said.
“One message we’d like to get out is that even though it was a successful evening and we raised a good amount of money, the needs of the food bank don’t stop.”
Formed with the purpose of hosting Food for Thought, Hall said the Friends would soon meet to discuss their future plans.
“We’ll have to get together and talk about whether or not we want to continue that and see what people want to do and what direction people want to go,” she said.
