#Feature Friday: Father Bill’s & Mainspring’s FoodFest 2016
Father Bill’s & Mainspring held their annual FoodFest fundraiser on Tuesday, July 25 at Hingham Beer Works. This was the twenty-second year for the event. Approximately 800 people attended the event this year. The event raised nearly $320,000 to aid in the fight against homelessness.
The organization provides shelter and permanent housing to men, women and children across the South Shore. Every night the organization shelters about 135 families and 255 individuals. Around 89 cents of every dollar the organization raises goes directly to the individuals and families that they serve. Many of the people they help are suffering from mental illness and/or addiction. The fastest growing age groups the organization sees are young adults ages 18 to 21 and seniors ages 60 and older.
The VIP Reception began at 5 P.M. and the tasting started at 6 P.M. With the event being located at Hingham Beer Works in the Hingham Shipyard, attendees were able to get a beautiful view of the ocean. Thirty-eight different vendors participated in the event with a variety of different items for attendees to taste.
Vendors included Montilio’s Bakery, Costco, Legal C Bar, Nona’s Ice Cream, The Tinker’s Son and many more. With so many options to choose from it was difficult for attendees to choose which food to begin with. It would be surprising if anyone left FoodFest hungry.
During the VIP reception the family of Richard C. and Virginia A. Phelps presented the Dedicated Volunteer Award to Donna Foster. The event also included a silent auction to help raise money for the important cause. The auctioneer was Jim Fagan, who got the crowd excited to support such a great cause during the silent auction. Attendees used the mobile bidding platform, BidPal to bid on their favorite silent auction items. District 21 provided the live entertainment for the evening. A video about the Evelyn House Project was shown during the event as well. Attendees were able to learn more about who their donations would support by watching the video. Also, Jack Foley Photography perfectly captured the event through their numerous photos of the event. Awesome Blossom created the beautiful flower arrangements.
The event was a great time for all of the attendees. We are always excited to have our rentals at events for Father Bill’s and Mainspring. This year our frame tents, chairs, tables, staging, and other rental items were at the event. Be on the lookout for this event next year. It is definitely one that you do not want to miss!
This organization greatly benefits the South Shore community. It deserves all of the help it can get to continue doing so and to expand its services to more people throughout the area. If you would like to donate to the cause then head over to their donation page. If you would like to volunteer for the organization then learn how to sign up here.
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