PORTSMOUTH – The Seacoast community stepped up to help Gather, a Seacoast anti-hunger nonprofit, break records with its largest annual food fundraiser known as “Fill the Hall.”
The 10th annual event, held at the Music Hall, was the largest cash donation effort yet. Organizers say they raised more than $117,000, four times the amount raised at last year’s Fill the Hall. Countless bags of non-perishable goods were donated, totaling more than 10,000 pounds of food. According to Gather Executive Director Ann Hayes, “We called on the Seacoast community to help us make this the most successful food drive in history, and they pulled together.”
Community activist Denise Wheeler was one of the original organizers of the event and said, “The volunteers who return each year bring such joy, warmth and energy to the event. It’s been an honor and a joy to watch the incredible teams at Gather and The Music Hall work their magic.”
Many local residents, restaurants and businesses organized their own food drives with the goal of delivering truckloads of food to Fill The Hall, and this year’s major sponsor was Green & Co. Real Estate.
This effort will fund Gather’s Meals For Kids program, which provides nutritious meals to children when school is out. Gather teams will deliver a variety of foods and snacks directly to participating locations. The goal is to ensure children always have access to food. Families interested in participating can go to a designated mobile market location and a Gather team will assist them. There is no complicated registration or paperwork. For more information on mobile market locations and hours, visit www.gatherNH.org.