The volunteers at the Highland Mills Food Pantry are preparing for a special food drive from 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 18 and they’ll welcome donations from any corner of the area. The food drive will be at the Highland Mills United Methodist Church on Route 32 at Ridge Road.
It is staffed by volunteers with a goal to provide food to families and individuals who might otherwise go hungry. Although it is housed in the Methodist Church, it is supported by many people and serves many more. Sought are mainly nonperishable items that go quickly from the pantry shelves. Included are canned goods (tuna, chicken, soup, fruit, pasta sauce, and vegetables) and peanut butter, jelly, cereal, noodles, rice, milk, bread. Many donating families bring in a full grocery bag each time they shop for their own families.
Cash donations also are very welcome. Checks can be written to the Highland Mills Food Pantry and taken to the church front door during the special drive. For more information, call the church office at 928-6177 or visit highlandmillsumc.org.
The food pantry is open on Fridays from 11 a.m.-noon.
Happening today
• There will be an outdoor music festival from 4-8 p.m. today at Temple Sinai, 75 Highland Ave., Middletown. It is open to everyone and features local artists, musicians, bands, performers and more.
Admission is $10 for adults, and $5 for children. The tickets, available at the door, includes a kosher hot dog and a chair for outdoor seating.
The rain-or-shine event has been arranged by an enthusiastic committee, led by Rabbi Marcus Rubenstein. The temple has served the Jewish community for more than 100 years. It was originally located on Linden Avenue, but as the attendance grew, so did thoughts of a larger. The temple building was sold to a Christian group for $22,000. The Jewish community purchased land on Highland Avenue and celebrated with a ground breaking on March 31, 1968. The new temple was dedicated on Sept. 7, 1969 under a boiling sun, according to the 1980 yearbook of the Historical Society of Middletown and the Wallkill Precinct, Inc., written by the late historian Charles Radzinsky. "Shortly after 2 p.m., Rabbi Port and congregation leaders ... filed out of the Linden Avenue Temple holding five Torahs.” The congregation and friends numbering around 300 strolled up the John Street hill, singing as they took turns carrying the Torahs. When they reached the new temple on Highland Avenue, which cost a reported $550,000, around 200 people waited to greet them. Through the years it’s been an active place for all people, not only for religious practices, but for education, study, and for social and cultural activities, concluded Radzinsky in his report.
Sunday’s music festival is a continuance of offering excellent programs for everyone. For information, call the temple at 343-1861.
• The Florida Family Fun Fest will be from 1-8 p.m. today in the Village of Florida. Volunteers from the Seward/Mapes homestead will have a booth on North Main Street, and they are anxious to show pictures of the restoration. They also hope for donations that will be matched up to $400 in a grant. For information, visit the website at sewardhomestead.org.
Coming up
• The staff at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame will have a craft workshop for youths age 8 and older from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 19. The project will involve using sculpting tools to model air-dry terracotta clay into a bas-relief horse head tile. The cost is $10. Scouts, Pony Club and 4-H members can participate at no charge. A preregistration is required by Aug. 16. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For information, call 294-6330.
• Temple Sholom in Monticello is taking registrations for weekly religion classes that begin Sept. 25 for kindergarten through Bar/Bat Mitzvah age. Younger children will learn about Judaism, holidays, and blessings through songs, crafts and bible stories. For information, call the temple office at 794-8731 or Lauren Miller at 914-799-1424.
This & that
• ShopRite has announced a partnership with TeacherLists, a leading online provider of digital school supply lists.
• The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Rosemary 681 of St. Joseph’s Church in Middletown, is hosting a Celebrity Scoop Night. It will be from 5-8 p.m. Aug. 23 at Rita’s Italian Ices, 92 Dolson Ave., Middletown. Thirty percent of the proceeds from each sale during those hours will go to the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Funds will be used for the group’s charities.
Barbara Bedell’s column appears daily. She can be reached at 346-3125 or by email: bbedell@th-record.com.
