New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Townsquare Media and the Fearons Family announced that July’s Food for Tots event raised more than $12,000 for pediatric services at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. The event, which was held Thursday, June 19, in Tri-Town – Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester, was the fourth in a series of Food for Tots fundraisers created to benefit Southcoast Health’s pediatric services, which are provided in collaboration with the world’s top pediatric hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital.
Food for Tots invites the community to dine out at some of the area’s best restaurants on the third Thursday of every month, with 15 percent of all proceeds going directly to pediatric services at Southcoast Health. This month’s event featured six Tri-Town establishments: Turk’s Seafood, Brew Fish Bar & Eatery, The Inn on Shipyard Park, Nick’s Homemade Pizza, Oxford Creamery, and The Atlantic Bistro. It also included a match donation of $5,000 from Yard Boss Landscape Design.
To date, Food for Tots has raised more than $40,000 through its events in Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River and Tri-Town.
“As a Tri-Town resident, I am overwhelmed by the amount of support that Food for Tots received from the community, including the restaurant and business owners,” said Jill Fearons, a long-time advocate and volunteer for Southcoast Health’s pediatric services. “It seemed like everyone in town was out on Thursday enjoying the great offerings at the fantastic establishments that we are so fortunate to have right here in our area. I am so proud that this program has inspired so much charity and kindness.”
The next Food for Tots is scheduled for Thursday, August 16, in New Bedford. The participating restaurants will be announced Monday, August 6, live on air and on fun107.com.
Food for Tots is supported by Townsquare Media which donated significant airtime on both WFHN 107 FM and WBSM 1420 AM. In addition, the stations held live interviews with Michael Rock, host of the WFHN “Michael Rock” show, and Phil Paleologos, who hosts the morning program on WBSM.
“It’s not easy to raise $12,000 in one day, but Tri-Town did just that. Our heartfelt thanks to all of our restaurants, to our matching sponsor, Yard Boss, and to all of the customers. Tri-Town now holds the ‘high score’ for 2018. We’ll see if New Bedford can break it in August,” said Rock.
On The Go in Mattapoisett has also been supporting the initiative by donating 15 percent of its proceeds every Tuesday to the Southcoast Health pediatrics program. To date, On The Go has donated more than $3,000.
“We created Food for Tots so that every child in our region could receive the absolute best pediatric care in the world right here where we live,” said Fearons. “I could not be more grateful to Michael Rock and everyone at Fun 107 and WBSM for supporting this initiative. I also could not be more thankful to the restaurants that opened their doors and their hearts to this cause.”
For more information regarding the Food for Tots program or to get involved as a donor, visit www.southcoast.org/philanthropy/food-for-tots/ or contact Tricia Grime at 508-973-5355 or grimep@southcoast.org.
