The Friendly Kitchen provides something that some folks don’t always have and others that for granted – their next meal.
And it’s a huge undertaking to provide two meals a day, every day. That’s why Concord’s soup kitchen is in constant need of donations, either food or monetary. The Monitor/Insider hosted the Pizza Pie Showdown in March that resulted in a more than $800 donation to the Friendly Kitchen, but that money will only go so far. But with two events planned this month, they should get a nice boost in the money department.
It starts this Saturday when Dan Zanes, the Grammy-winning musician who grew up in Concord, returns to perform a pair of concerts at the Concord Community Music School with proceeds benefiting the Friendly Kitchen.
Zanes, whose mother Hope Butterworth has been on the Friendly Kitchen board for many years, will put on a show in the morning that is geared toward the family crowd and one at night that’s more for the adults.
The interactive family show is at 10 a.m. and will include a long list of Zanes’s hits. He has released over a dozen all-ages CDs, including the Grammy Award-winning Catch That Train. Which if he decides to play (and he probably will), you’ll want to prepare to become part of a human train. They can’t fit an actual train in the music school, so a human one will have to do. And get ready for the kiddos to want to get up and move and groove throughout the hour-long show because that’s what Zanes’s music makes you want to do.
The evening show (7:30 pm.) will celebrate the music of Lead Belly – The King of the 12-string Guitar.
Since the first benefit concert in 1999, Zanes has played with many musicians and this year won’t be any different. Zanes will be joined by his wife, Claudia Eliaza, as well as Donald Saaf and Matthew Sharff. Eliaza has toured worldwide singing jazz music, and recently returned from a 10-city tour of Russia. She is also a board certified music therapist. Saaf and Sharff have played many Friendly Kitchen concerts with Zanes.
Tickets are $20 for adults, and $10 for children 12 and younger and seniors, and can be purchased at the door, by calling 228-1196 or visiting ccmusicschool.org.
On May 21, the Friendly Kitchen will host the first-ever Friendly Kitchen “Drive Out Hunger” Golf Tournament at the Canterbury Country Club.
Awards will be offered for the top two teams, and on the course, there will be loads of ways to win (outside of shooting the lowest scores). There are prizes for a hole-in-one, closest to the pin, long drive for men and women and a putting contest. Add in some raffles and a live auction, and there’s many reasons to sign up – beyond helping a good cause. Lunch will also be served after the tournament.
Cost is $100 per player or $400 for a foursome. Price includes green fees, cart and meal following the tournament. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
To register, go to thefriendlykitchen.org and click on May Fundraisers for a team registration form, or you can contact Ian Berkeley at IBerkeley@tds.net or call 496-3056.
