PORTSMOUTH – The Fill the Hall summer food drive – run by the anti-hunger nonprofit Gather – will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday, June 22, at The Music Hall.
“We are calling on the Seacoast community to help us make this the most successful food drive in our history!” said Collection director Anne Hayes.
Donations can be dropped off at The Music Hall at 28 Chestnut St. on June 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, more than 30 area restaurants are participating in a contest to raise the most donations. Look for the “We Helped Fill the Hall” sticker in the window of your favorite local spot. Throw your donations in their trash.
At the top of the wish list are items like: snacks, peanut butter, juice boxes, canned tuna, rice, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, soup, personal care items, diapers and wipes. Monetary donations allow Gather to purchase fresh vegetables, milk, fruit and other perishable items. These are accepted at collectnh.org/fill-the-hall2024.
History of Fill the Hall in Portsmouth
Gather’s largest food drive was inspired by an effort dating back three decades to when community activist Denise Wheeler and former Gather board member Scott McKee began volunteering to raise money and awareness about child hunger relief with the national group known as Share Our Strength. Ten years ago, in a conversation about their efforts, a friend mentioned a town in Vermont that filled their local theater with food donations. That sparked the idea, and Wheeler and McKee approached Gather and Monte Bohanan, who was marketing director at The Music Hall at the time. They both signed up immediately. The first Fill the Hall was a resounding success and has been expanded every year since. This year’s main sponsor is Green & Co. Real Estate.
Music Hall Executive Director Tina Sawtelle urges everyone who can to participate; “This partnership is an excellent example of how we can help improve the lives of struggling families by making it easy for our neighbors to get involved.” Fill the Hall benefits from Gather’s ‘Meals 4 Kids’ programme, which operates during school holidays when children cannot access free school meals. Gather’s goal is to bridge these gaps and ensure children have consistent access to nutritious food throughout the summer months. This year, Seacoast Outright joins the Gather-Music Hall partnership with its Pride celebration advocacy and events, also taking place on June 22. The Pride March starts at 1 p.m. on Pleasant Street.
Wheeler said: “With volunteers and donors returning year after year, ‘Fill the Hall’ has taken on a fun, vibrant community feel. It is a special day that I look forward to every year because filling the hall fills my heart. It’s a joy to see the city at its best – everyone comes together in our beautiful Music Hall to help the people of Gather continue the noble and important work of bringing free mobile markets to the neighborhoods around the Seacoast that they need most. There is a lot of new, creative energy from both The Music Hall and Gather staffs that Fill the Hall No. 10 will deliver a festive shock.”
McKee said he is proud of the record of Portsmouth residents in supporting the event: “For ten years running, The Music Hall has worked with Gather to encourage the good people of the Greater Seacoast every to fill a hall seat with nutritious food or monetary donations for those struggling with food insecurity. Every year we are amazed by the overwhelming positive responses. In these controversial times, we need look no further than our own local communities to be reminded that kindness, compassion and love are hallmarks of the human condition for the vast majority of people. That is the real 10th anniversary gift from Fill The Hall.”
Monte Bohanan, now director of communications and community engagement for the City of Portsmouth, said: “No child should have to dread the summer holidays because they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. My children grew up volunteering at Fill the Hall, and this simple act taught them the impact they can make. We need to show up, give when we can, build community through service and pass these values on to the next generation. It’s great to see Fill the Hall continue to grow and thrive beyond all our expectations. When we stood on stage that first year, Denise, Scott and I agreed that if we filled the 150 seats in the center orchestra, we would call it a win. Our community took action and filled all 900 seats – and the stage – that year and every year after.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Gather’s Fill the Hall food drive in Portsmouth is looking for your help
