More than 800 participants joined an evening of live music and celebrated in the Villages of Warwick and Florida for the Mardi Gras for a Cause celebration in late February, raising nearly $24,000 for Backpack Snack Attack, an outreach program of the Warwick Reformed Church that provides food on the weekends to nearly 250 school children in the Florida, Greenwood Lake, and Warwick public school districts.
“It really does take a village to organize, implement and support an initiative like Mardi Gras for a Cause,” founder and co-chair John Desibia said.
“We are so grateful for the generous support of our community and because of that, we have never had to turn away a family or child needing the support of our program,” Jenna Price, director of Backpack Snack Attack and Mardi Gras for a Cause co-chair said.
All 12 acts and bands - which included 48 performers - provided their talents for free, as did sound man Will Orosz, webmaster Mary Schweitzer, the 11 event venues and their staff, and the 26 event volunteers.
The Backpack Snack Attack program is fueled by volunteers and supported by fundraising, donations, and grants.