Beverly 'Boots & Blues' Fundraising Event Set For Thursday Night

BEVERLY, MA — It's looking like a perfect early summer night for a dose of blues music and southern fare overlooking the oceanfront to benefit Beverly Bootstraps at its premier fundraising event on Thursday.

The second annual Boots & Blues event will include music from the Los Sugar Kings, lawn games and southern food at Misselwood on Hale Street at Endicott College. The event begins at 6:30 p.m.

"Beverly Bootstraps' work is more important than ever with people in our communities facing increased costs for food, electricity, rent and more," Beverly Bootstraps Executive Director Sue Gabriel said. "We are seeing record-breaking numbers of visits in our food assistance programs, and we are committed to helping people as much as we can."

Beverly Bootstraps serves Beverly, Manchester, Essex, Hamilton and Wenham with food security and adult education and youth and family services programming.

"Whether you participate as a sponsor, or purchase tickets to the event, please know you are making a difference right here in our own community," Gabriel said. "You can make all the difference in people's lives by coming and having a lot of fun while helping us raise needed funds."

In 2022, Beverly Bootstraps saw food pantry visits reach an all-time high, with nearly 13,000 visits over the year. Inflation pressures and the discontinuation of federal enhanced SNAP benefits enacted during the COVID-19 health crisis helped lead to the increase in need.

Tickets for this premier event start at $100 and can be purchased here or by calling 978-927-1561.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations.

Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)