Westerly Hospital, Finetco, Other Event Sponsors to Hold Food Drive at the 37th Annual Charlestown Seafood Festival
CHARLESTOWN, RI (July 20, 2022) – As tens of thousands converge on Ninigret Park next month to indulge in the freshest seafood and most delicious festival fare around for The 37th Annual Charlestown Seafood Festival, several of the event’s sponsors want to ensure members of the community most in need aren’t going hungry.
The 37th Annual Charlestown Seafood Festival will take place on August 5, 6, and 7. This year, Westerly Hospital and Finetco, A Family of Lumberyards, are sponsoring a food drive at the Charlestown Seafood Festival on Saturday, August 6 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. All donated items will benefit the Jonnycake Center of Westerly and Rhode Island CAN of Charlestown. Both organizations operate food pantries for those in need.
“Westerly Hospital is always looking for ways to be a good neighbor and support our local community. We’re honored for the opportunity to support a cause that helps individuals and families, especially during challenging times,” said Zakkyya Williams, Community Relations Coordinator for Westerly Hospital.
“Since we know many families right here in Rhode Island are having a hard time making ends meet these days, we thought a food drive at a food festival just made sense. Saturday is the busiest day of our three-day event, so we’re looking forward to a tremendous response,” said Heather Paliotta, Executive Director of the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce and Director of the Charlestown Seafood Festival. “While not surprising, we are overjoyed our event sponsors have the same dedication to our community as we do and stepped up in such a meaningful way.”
For the convenience of donors, volunteers from Westerly Hospital, Finetco, and RI Can will collect the non-perishable food products right in the parking lot outside the main gate before donors even enter the festival. Everyone who brings a food item will receive an entry into a Finetco Giveaway for each item donated. The winner of the giveaway (terms and conditions will apply) will receive a $2,500 credit toward a home improvement project or item Finetco offers through its four lumberyards (Coventry Lumber, Waterford Building Supply, E.L. Morse Lumber, and West Haven Lumber). In addition, the first 1,000 people to donate to the food drive will receive a $5 gift card from Dunkin’.
“The people of this community aren’t just customers to us, they’re our neighbors. So when we were contacted to take part in this event, we didn’t have to think twice,” said Bill Finnegan, owner of Finetco, A Family of Lumberyards. “We’re truly humbled to be able to play a small part in helping those neighbors put food on the table for their families.”
Poland Media Group – which facilitates sponsorships for The Charlestown Seafood Festival – coordinated the food drive between Westerly Hospital and several of the event’s other civic-minded sponsors.
“Poland Media Group was honored to work with Westerly Hospital, Finetco, and the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce to customize such a meaningful sponsorship opportunity. At the end of the day, the Charlestown Seafood Festival is all about community, and this food drive is the perfect example of that,” said Kimberly Poland, founder, and president of Poland Media Group.
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About The Charlestown Chamber of Commerce
The Charlestown Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization comprised of several hundred businesses, non-profit and associate members. The chamber’s mission is to facilitate and ensure the success and growth of our business community and its members through business networking and the promotion of regional tourism. The chamber is dedicated to the cultural, historical, environmental, recreational, and civic well-being of the beautiful coastal communities in and around Charlestown, Rhode Island. For more information, please log onto: https://www.charlestownrichamber.com.
About The Charlestown Seafood Festival
The Charlestown Seafood Festival – named a “Top 100 Event in North America” and listed as one of 10 Best Summer Seafood Festivals in the Northeast – is held annually at Charlestown’s Ninigret Park in Rhode Island. The Seafood Festival is the biggest fundraiser for the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce. The funds raised by The Charlestown Seafood Festival are vital to the Chamber’s mission to support local businesses and boost tourism.
About Westerly Hospital
Westerly Hospital, a member of Yale New Haven Health, is a 125-bed hospital that has been providing residents of southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut with a full range of inpatient and outpatient services in a community hospital setting for more than 90 years. Westerly Hospital patients receive the finest quality treatment in the following areas of care: emergency, medical, surgical, radiology, laboratory, and rehabilitative services. The hospital also offers heart and vascular care, interventional pain management, wound care, pulmonary rehabilitation services, inpatient geriatric psychiatric care, and comprehensive cancer care provided through the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center. All inpatient rooms are private.
About Finetco, A Family of Lumberyards
Finetco is a family-owned and -operated business that includes four lumber yards in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Our locations – Coventry Lumber in Coventry, Rhode Island; E.L. Morse Lumber in Wareham, Massachusetts; Waterford Building Supply in Waterford, Connecticut; and West Haven Lumber in West Haven, Connecticut – are “full service” lumber yards providing prompt service throughout a large service area. We have built a reputation for providing our customers with quality products and professional service. Regardless of the job size, we pride ourselves on the personal touch, the quality of our products, people, and services. With these core values, our company has grown and expanded to include windows, doors, kitchens, engineered lumber, and more.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kimberly J. Poland, Poland Media Group – (401) 743-7272, kimberly@polandmediagroup.com
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