Benefits Raise more than $1,000 for the Community Center of St Bernard

The Community Center of St. Bernard's own AmeriCorps LDSC's,
Ben Trussell (left) and Alyssa Beck (right) collecting donations.

Arabi, LA – Music lovers enjoyed a real treat on Saturday, January 22, when acclaimed local artist Anders Osborne played a free live performance to a packed house at the Howlin’ Wolf. The concert, which was organized by Kevin Schultz as a birthday celebration to benefit WhyHunger local nonprofit partners Our School at Blair Grocery and the Community Center of St Bernard raised over $900 in donations and sales of promotional items.

In addition to the funds raised through the concert, the Neutral Ground Ensemble (www.neutralgroundensemble.org), featuring local St. Bernard resident Becca Chapman, offered several performances of Bertolt Brecht’s play, “The Exception and the Rule” at the Elm Theatre to benefit the Community Center. Known for their dedication to achieving the highest level of artistic excellence and for their original, powerful and affective theatrical performances, the Neutral Ground Ensemble raised more than $400 in just 4 days.

“We’re very grateful for the funds we’ve received from these benefit events,” said Iray Nabatoff, Executive Director of the Community Center of St Bernard. “2010 was a hard year in many ways, with so many new clients coming to us for help because of the Gulf Oil Spill. Our Food Pantry served over 2,100 families, and we had more than 200 people sign in to our Clothing Bank every week. And it looks like 2011 is going to be just as busy. This kind of community support is absolutely vital so that the Community Center will be able to provide the help that these struggling families so desperately need.”

The money from the benefit events will be used to fund essential services at the Community Center, including the food pantry, clothing bank, computer lab, financial literacy classes, and other programs. And as it approaches its 5th Anniversary on April 17th, 2011, the Community Center of St. Bernard is working on a capital campaign to acquire a larger facility so that it can better serve the more than 5,300 local residents who depend on it for assistance every year. For more information about the resources and services available at the Community Center, please visit: www.ccstb.org.

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Donations Needed!

The Community Center welcomes donations of canned foods, used clothing and books, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and baby care items for free distribution to local residents through our Mustard Seed program. All items should be in good condition and food should not be opened or spoiled. For more information about making a donation, please contact Mustard Seed Distribution Manager Krystle Johnson at 504-281-2512.

Donations of new or used books are also always appreciated. And for those of you who have extra time, keep in mind that there are also many hands-on volunteer opportunities available at the Community Center in the office, kitchen, and distribution areas. To learn more, please go to www.ccstb.org/images/volunteers.pdf or phone the Community Center Office at 504–281–2512.

Finally, we are trying to obtain a donation of tshirts for volunteers and staff to wear during Community Center events so that visitors will know who to talk to if they have any questions or need assistance. We would ideally like to get 200 shirts in assorted sizes, with the Community Center logo on them. If you know of an organization or business that could donate these items, please let us know! We'll be glad to provide a receipt for tax deduction purposes.