York Town News
Local residents to set the beach ablaze for two good causes this weekend
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK BEACH - It's happening again.Walter Woods, along with a contingency of family members and friends, will host the Fourth Annual Community Beach Bonfire and Food Drive this Saturday, Oct. 7. This time, the event will benefit Hospice of York and the York Community Food Pantry.
The event is scheduled from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Long Sands Beach, rain or shine.
And, based on an all-time low for funding and supplies at the York Community Food Pantry and Hospice of York's ongoing efforts to remain one the only all-volunteer hospice organization in existence in the area, Woods' bonfire could not have come at a better time.
"We're in very good shape," Woods said Monday, after meeting that morning with other local volunteers assisting with the event. "It should be a fun time."
Hospice of York Director Dee Bickmore was quick to praise Woods for taking the initiative to offer this event as a celebration of giving and of the community over the past four years - and to seek out worthy causes to benefit from the efforts.
"From what I see, he has a very big heart, and he just wants to do this for an organization that needs some monetary help and for the community to have some fun," Bickmore said as plans were getting underway for this year's event.
Woods, however, would not take any credit.
"I love this," he said. "We're going to do this every year and donate to whatever community service groups are in need."
Woods began the tradition with friends and family members after the tragedy of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The event has continued, with beneficiaries close to home like Hospice of York and the York Community Food Pantry and far away, like the survivors of Hurricane Katrina last year.
"It means a lot," Bickmore said of Woods' decision to host a benefit raffle for Hospice of York as part of the event. "First of all, it's a fun way to show support and it's a very public expression of their support of us. That somebody wants to do something this exciting and this big for us is certainly gratifying."
The raffle will feature more than 30 gift certificates from area businesses, Woods pointed out, and the fun will include a barbecue, two live bands, karaoke and, of course, the bonfire.
In addition to the fundraiser for Hospice of York, Woods said it was the reality of the Food Pantry's plight that inspired him to ask for donations of nonperishable food items to fill a truck and assist in the effort to make sure no York resident must go hungry.
Just a few weeks ago, York Community Food Pantry Co-Directors Frances Koerschner and Marianne Quinn sent out a plea to local residents to help the pantry in its efforts to assist their neighbors in need.
"Our funds are at an all-time low point and we appeal to you, our Greater York community, to help us continue to assist our families," the pair wrote in a letter announcing the struggles the York Community Food Pantry is facing. "… The pantry helps about 30 families at this time of year. It's a lower number than in the colder months, though the necessity of food remains exactly the same."
In addition to being a part of Saturday's bonfire festivities, if you want to help the York Community Food Pantry or Hospice of York, contributions may be sent directly to the York Community Food Pantry at P.O. Box 243, York, ME 03909 or Hospice of York at 15 Hospital Drive, York ME 03909.
