On February 3, the Welcome Home Benefit Concert will be held at Connections Café on High Street in Pottstown. The concert is a fundraising effort to help the homeless population in the Pottstown area.
All proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Ministries at Main Street, a homeless shelter that operates from November to April. The shelter is housed in different churches in Pottstown each month centering around the High Street area. The money raised will be used to purchase food, bedding, and other necessities for the shelter residents.
“Last year, we raised about $1,400 for Your Way Home (a Montgomery County charitable organization) enough to furnish four permanent homes for homeless families,” Anya Gupta ’18, the lead organizer of the concert, said. “While I would like to raise at least $2,500 this year, my goal is more awareness-oriented.”
Just For Kicks, a local band, will perform at the concert. Andy’s Two Dollar Bills, a Hill School faculty band, will be the opening musical act for the night. The band consists of Andy Bessette, Bill Yinger, and Bill Robertson.
“I think it is a great event that can bring people together over music and pride for their community,” Gupta said. “I expect the room at Connections Café to be full, and I hope to see unfamiliar faces who want to help the homeless.”
Gupta first spearheaded the concert last yaear with Katie Scanlan, former director of sustainability at Hill, and organized the concert in the Center for the Arts. Gupta is a member of Pottstown CARES alongside other students from The Hill School, Pottstown School District, Perkiomen Valley School District, and Montgomery County Community College.
“I want to see Pottstown High School, Hill School, and Montgomery County students unite over their love for Pottstown and commitment to bettering our town,” Gupta said.
CARES stand for Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Empowerment, and Sustainability. Its mission is to “develop and sustain a service ethic in Pottstown that will result in a collective sense of community pride through the active and engaged efforts of community members,” according to its website.
The group created a Community Tool Share Program, in which Pottstown community members can borrow equipments, amongst other initiatives that aim to benefit the borough. Members in the group can spearhead different projects, Gupta and the Benefit Concert being an example.
Hill students can attend the concert as a weekend activity. The Café will open its doors for admissions at 7 p.m. Food and refreshments from local vendors will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10 each at the door, or they can be purchased online through a link in Gupta’s email. Those who are unable to attend the concert can still donate for the cause through the same website.