PETOSKEY — Many people in the community need food assistance, and Brother Dan’s Food Pantry in Petoskey is there to help.
The ninth annual Have a Heart event, which benefits the pantry, will be from noon-9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Emmet County Fairgrounds Community Building. Admission for the benefit is $15 per person, which includes entertainment and food. People can also visit the cash bar for pop, water, beer and wine. Children 12 and younger can attend the event for free.
Bob Reedy, who is involved with the event, recently sat down for an interview with Arielle Hines for the News-Review podcast. The full episode will be released on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Below is a transcription of part of the interview. Some of the responses below have been edited for length and clarity.
N-R: For someone who hasn’t been to this event before, how would you explain it to them?
BR: Well I think it’s a day of family fun. It’s something mom, dad, kids, grandma and grandpa can enjoy. When you have a music lineup such as ours, there is something there for everyone. Rather it is rock ‘n’ roll, country, classics or honky-tonk. There are just all kinds of different music being played. There is a lot of blues; there is a lot of jazz. There is just something for everyone. There is food donated by over 20 area restaurants. It’s just a great day. There is just not a lot of activities taking place on a Sunday in February. It’s not a thing where you have to spend all day. You can come and spend a couple of hours, have some good food, see great entertainment and have a lot of fun. It’s just a fun day for such a great cause.
N-R: How did the event get started and what’s the purpose of the event?
BR: The first event was in February of 2010. The idea behind the event was that we wanted to help raise funds for the pantry. I don’t know if a lot of people in the area know this or not, but last year Brother Dan’s served roughly 3,000 families and almost 10,000 people. Now 10,000 people might sound a lot to some and may not sound like very much to others. But when you put it into this perspective, there is only about 35,000 people in Emmet County and 10,000 received help through the pantry. That’s almost one-third of the county’s population. So the pantry has a huge impact. I don’t know where a lot of people would be today if they didn’t receive help from the pantry. But obviously, it takes money to help that many people. If you happen to stop by St. Francis Xavier Church on a Tuesday afternoon and see the line of people waiting to receive their donated food, it will touch you; it’s emotional. You see the little kids out there and they don’t know anything is wrong. But mom and dad sure do and they are scared to death they are not going to be able to provide for their kids.
N-R: What are going to be some of the highlights of the event?
BR: We have a list of bands. We are really happy this year because we have a couple of people back that have participated with us in the past. The James Greenway Band is back this year and they always do a great job. But it’s the music that’s the highlight. And it’s how wonderful for this musician to be willing to load up their equipment, bring it all out and set it up to play for 45-50 minutes. But they understand the magnitude, and meaning of the event. They simply want to be a part of it. I found out at the last meeting we have over 380 individual items in the silent auction alone. We have 50/50 drawings, we have a card game, people can win prizes. Of course, we have a cash bar with beer, wine, soft drinks and water. The food and everything is just exceptional. We have soups; we have sandwiches and various other items. We have lots of desserts; no one goes home hungry. There is just more food than you can imagine.
N-R: What’s your favorite part of the event?
BR: I am involved in quite a few things during the event. I enjoy emceeing it because I enjoy working with the bands and I enjoy talking with people. I do the marketing because that’s what I did professionally before I retired. I think probably the most joy I get is when I see people come into the door smiling and having fun. I know not only are we raising money for a terrific cause, but we are providing an avenue for people to enjoy themselves and have a great day. I think the whole event, in general, is really special.
