It’s right there in the name, so it’s no surprise the Wellesley Apple Butter and Cheese Festival committee has food on its mind just now. The food bank, to be specific, with the organization donating $5,000 to the Wellesley Food Cupboard.
“Everybody’s in a rough situation right now,” festival head Jamie Reid said this week of the COVID-19 situation that’s the impetus for the donation.
“It was brought to our attention that the Wellesley and area food bank was in need of some help.” Members of the festivals committee held a meeting last week to look at ideas for giving back to the community. During the meeting a final decision was made, “We all voted to give $5,000 to help them out and allow them to go buy some food for the local food cupboard,” he said.
Reid took over as chair of the festival nearly two years ago, noting the organization has a long tradition of supporting the community. In the past, proceeds from the festival have gone to the development of sports facilities, city maintenance, and purchasing equipment for the fire department and local schools, among others.
The donation to the food cupboard will be done with social distancing protocols, which Reid and his father Bob have been following. Bob Reid, a former ABC Fest chair, is a member of the food cupboard’s board, making the recipient a top-of-mind choice.
“I think it’s obvious of the times we’re in right now with the virus going around, people are out of work. My thinking was that the food cupboard is going to probably be overtaxed with people that don’t normally use it.”
Christa Gerber, chair of the Wellesley Food Cupboard, said the agency is “thrilled and amazed” by the announcement of the donation.
“We are a community-run program, and it is great to see community-wide support,” she said, adding the donated funds will allow the organization to continue their day-to-day operations.
This year’s ABC Festival is scheduled for September 26, outside the range of a raft of event cancellations. The township has extended its hold on events for the foreseeable future, and a number of summertime events in and around the region have already been cancelled. More updates are expected as the spring rolls on.
