Hometown concert raises $33,500 to fight hunger
While $30,000 in three days may seem like a massive fundraising goal, this year’s Hometown Sampler–once again–blew right through it.
After the last of four concerts held Friday through Sunday, organizers announced they’d raised more than $33,500 had been raised for the Community Pathways of Steele County food shelf.
Celebrating its 30th year, the Hometown Sampler featured local bands Bad Tangerine, The Gogs, Turn the Page, and Mile 5. It was launched as a benefit for the Steele County Food Shelf, which merged in 2020 with the Steele County Clothesline to form Community Pathways.
The new nonprofit, which moved last year into an expanded facility on Oakdale Street, provides food, clothing, and other services to Steele County residents in need. During the event, executive director Dom Korbel told donors they may be doing more for families in distress than they realize.
In September, he said, a woman came to the office for help. She and her husband both had medical issues and told Korbel they “waited as long as we possibly could until we came here for help.”
A week later, she came back with her husband, who pulled Korbel aside to explain the depths of his despair. While his wife had been getting help the previous week, he sat at their kitchen table, “trying to determine if I took my life, would my family get a payment.”
When his wife returned with the bags of groceries and he saw how happy she was, he told Korbel, “All of a sudden, I had hope again, and I thought I had lost it. Because my wife came here and you were able to help us… I think we can do this.”
“We only get to do this because you believe in our mission,” Korbel said. “Together, we are changing lives and quite possibly, in more ways than we know, we are actually saving lives, because of you.”
The Hometown Sampler kicks off March FoodShare Month, an annual, state-wide effort to raise funds and build awareness for local food shelves. The amount the local food shelf receives is connected to the success of the local drive.
To learn more, visit communitypathwayssc.org.