Gifts of Hope telethon raises $5,000 for Belmont Food Pantry - Wicked Local Belmont

Gifts of Hope telethon raises $5,000 for Belmont Food Pantry - Wicked Local Belmont

As part of our yearly Gifts of Hope campaign, the Belmont Citizen-Herald is partnering with the Belmont Food Pantry to raise money for the organization. As you plan your year-end charitable donations, we will be bringing you a stream of stories throughout the holiday season about the pantry, its work and how residents can make a difference.

Joanna Tzouvelis jtzouvelis@wickedlocal.com @citizenherald

State Sen. William Brownsberger, Selectman Adam Dash, Community Conversations podcast host Roger Colton, Citizen-Herald freelance journalist Ann Reynolds, Belmont business owners, musicians, residents and many other town officials took time out of their busy Saturday on Dec. 2 to show their support for the Gifts of Hope telethon to benefit the Belmont Food Pantry. This collaboration between the Belmont Citizen-Herald and Belmont Media Center helped raise more than $5,000 for the pantry during the five-hour live show.

Donors who stopped by to pledge their support or drop off their monetary and food donations included Belmont business owners Roseann Vardaro of CambridgeWear, Swapnil Gandbhir of Cuvee Fine Wine, Lisa Castagno of Revolve, George Vrahliotis of Hiller's Cleaners, Karen Kostigen of Zia's Clothing Outlet, Stacey Zawel of Get In Shape for Women, Tiao Xie, president of the Belmont Chinese American Association, Coldwell Banker realtor Lynn Findlay, ReMax Leading Edge realtors Martha Brown and Juliet Jenkins, Foodie's Market Manager Bobby McPhail and Lucas Tragos of Belmont Car Wash.

Longtime volunteers and supporters of the Belmont Food Pantry who also appeared on the air during the telethon were Doug and Christina John of Belmont Serves and the Christensen family.

Belmont Media Center Executive Director Jeff Hansell hopes to continue the telethon tradition annually. "The Gifts of Hope TV Telethon has taken on a life of its own. Because so many people - particularly local business - have participated and supported the event over the years, most residents have come to expect that the Telethon will happen every December," he  said.

Belmont Food Pantry Director Patty Mihelich was equally thrilled with the outcome. "This year's telethon went well, it was fun, fast-paced and never a dull moment. Thanks to BMC staff, volunteers and [Citizen-Herald editor] Joanna Tzouvelis for all their hard work to bring about a successful Telethon. Also thank you to everyone who came in to donate, to talk about their experiences helping at the food pantry," said Mihelich, who helped found the pantry 25 years ago.

The Gifts of Hope campaign continues through New Year's with several fundraisers in Belmont Center on Dec. 11 and in Cushing Square on Dec. 13.