The pandemic has complicated this year’s fundraising for Our Community Place. Instead of a separate fall Gala and Christmas Concert fundraiser, OCP will hold both at the same time this weekend. WMRA’s Calvin Pynn has this preview.
The annual fall Gala and Christmas concert fundraisers have been vital to ensure that Our Community Place, or OCP, is fully staffed to help Harrisonburg’s homeless population. Their Executive Director, Sam Nickels, said the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on people struggling with homelessness has made this year’s fundraiser especially important.
SAM NICKELS: Businesses where they would go to the bathroom during the day were often shut down, and agencies like the social security administration building, those folks were not seeing people face to face anymore.
The two events will be combined this year for a physically distanced “Mask-erade” fundraiser. OCP is close to reaching their fundraising goal with just one day left, and Nickels said community funding has been plentiful over the past several months.
NICKELS: Folks are being really generous when they can because they know people are struggling during the pandemic.
[Sound of Tassie Pippert cooking on YouTube channel]
Local chef Tassie Pippert will work with OCP’s chefs to prepare this year’s dinner, which will be delivered to donors later that evening. Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show and Trent Wagler of The Steel Wheels are among the performers scheduled for the event’s livestreamed concert.
[Sound of Ketch Secor playing and fading into Trent Wagler playing]
More information can be found at ourcommunityplace.org.
