Charity and rock ‘n’ roll will come together today in the form of a benefit concert aimed at ending hunger throughout Florida.
Rock for the Hungry, the brainchild of the UF chapter of Golden Key International Honour Society, is a tradition the organization has carried on for years.
UF Golden Key aims to target the issue of hunger in Gainesville and its surrounding areas by raising money for Children’s Table, which purchases food for needy families.
The cover charge for the event, which will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Common Grounds, is $6 and will be given directly to Children’s Table.
The organization relies heavily on donations and often pays out of pocket to purchase the goods, said Mary Velasco, a member of UF Golden Key and the director of Rock for the Hungry.
Children’s Table, which used to receive large food donations from UF sororities and fraternities, as well as other forms of UF funding, is not given those donations anymore due to the recent financial struggle on everybody’s part, said 82-year-old Bill Brown of the organization.
The charity feeds about 5,000 families in 11 counties.
“It has been the best years of my life, and I cannot describe the satisfaction and fulfillment that I feel from being able to work with and help that many people,” Brown said.
Rock for the Hungry will include music provided by a number of local bands, including The Boswellians, The Haps, Germs of Empires.
“I had heard about Children’s Table around town and thought it’s a good cause and seemed well organized,” said Ryan Backman, a member of The Boswellians.
“It is a mesh of different people and different music genres in one arena,” Velasco said. “It is a truly unifying event, and if people want to rock out while helping the community they should come out and bask in the magic of it all.”
