Listen to the music and fight hunger

MONROE — The contribution of a bag of non-perishable food will get you an entire day of musical entertainment.

But it’s more than just offering music lovers an eclectic mix of melodies that “Monroe Lending Hands” concert organizers hope will appeal to concert-goers. They hope people will realize their food contributions will help to offset the hunger issues that are still problematic for many in the community.

The day long concert, which takes place on Saturday, June 2 (with a rain date on June 3) will feature 11 bands - all former Monroe-Woodbury alumni - who have volunteered their talent and time to entertain people for simply a bag of food, according to Carol Remicci, one of the event’s organizers.

Beneficiaries are the Monroe Food Pantry, based at the Monroe United Methodist Church, the Monroe Presbyterian Food Pantry and Our Father’s Soup Kitchen, the area’s only soup kitchen providing weekly hot meals to those in need, run by the Sacred Heart Parish Community Outreach Program in Monroe.

“We’re hoping to fill a truck of nonperishable food that we can distribute between the three (the two food pantries and soup kitchen),” said Remicci.

Remicci suggested canned or dry foods, baby foods, baby products, pet foods and even local grocery gift cards so the soup kitchen and food pantries can buy perishable items to complement the non-perishable items they distribute.

Back to the future Ray Reilly, a former Monroe resident is the organizer for the event, explained Remicci. While he now lives in New Hampshire, he’s doing much of the work via phone and visits Monroe to meet with local organizers.

Reilly organized a similar concert 27 years ago to benefit a food pantry which was run by Sacred Heart Church at the time, Remicci explained.

“This is kind of his brainchild and it was a success 27 years ago,” she said. “It all started when we connected last year after 30 years at a CYO reunion. I told him about changes in Monroe over the years and how the need for the food pantries has increased. He said to me, ‘I did one 27 years ago, let’s do another one.’”

‘Sure I’ll come’ Remicci said Reilly has gathered Monroe-Woodbury alumni from as far away as Texas and North Carolina.

“It’s pretty amazing what they put together,” said Remicci. “It’s kind of a homecoming to help the community. Ray’s been in touch with all of these people, and they’ve told him, ‘Sure I’ll come up, I’ll play.’”

Remicci said many people throughout the community are pitching in to raise awareness and give food to the three organizations because hunger is a problem that isn’t going away.

“I think people have fallen on some hard times,” added Remicci. “The community has changed tremendously. People need assistance and people need help.”

But she hopes community members will also realize something else that will make them pause and think.

“I guess it could be any one of us at any given time,” Remicci said. “Life could change in a second.”

- Nancy Kriz