It all started with a class. Jane Bitto, co-owner of Evelyn’s Drive-In, took a course titled Self Expression in Leadership. One of her assignments was to create a plan to “do anything you want to do to help the community”.

Jane expressed a love of music and sharing it with the community, so it only seemed natural that her project would entail music. With inspiration from her class assignment, Jane thought of Sing Out Against Hunger (SOAH).

SOAH is a musical fundraising event to support local food pantries. The first event took place in 2003. Jane said each year it has continued to grow. This year they have 35 performances and added an extra day.  Some notable acts are Pumpkin Head Ted, Red Eye Flight, The Kim Lamothe Tree-Oh, Christopher Moon, Tania Alexandra, Jose Docen, Daniel Ouellette, and just returning from a tour in Europe, Allysen Callery.

The festivities start today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m at Evelyn's Drive-In. Coastal Roasters will be the co-sponsor and co-host of the event again this year. Shows will be during the day this weekend at Coastal Roasters and the next four nights at Evelyn’s Drive-In. See more event information here.

Jane shared with gratitude that it takes a lot of people to make this event happen. There is a committee of 12 people who organize, the band members who donate their time and skills, the local businesses who donate items for the fundraising activities and the many others who help out in order for the event to run smoothly.

Ceileidh Siegel is the public relations person for SOAH and became involved after attending last year’s event. She said she had so much fun she wanted to be a part of it felt strongly about raising funds for the local food pantries. Ceileidh said there are a large number of residents that need and utilize these pantries and emphasized the importance of “taking care of our own."

She said this event is a great way to raise money to support the efforts of East Bay Community Action (Tiverton Food Bank) and The Little Compton Food Bank. Since 2003, SOAH has raised over $76,000 for those in need.

However, as the old saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished”. Last year the planning committee for SOAH had the unexpected news from the Tiverton Town Council that they could not amplify the event and had to end early. You can see more about this in a previous Patch post.

Ceileidh assured me that the event this year will be fully amplified and they are able to hold the event later into the evening than last year. Jane explained that the Tiverton Town Council voted to repeal the restrictions from last year. To show their support, several of the council members are also planning to attend the event.

Performances will take place rain or shine. There will be a large tent set up at Evelyn’s behind the building on their patio. A small tent will also be set up in front of Coastal Roasters. Parking will be available in Evelyn’s parking lot and along Main Street. Food and drinks will be available for purchase at each location and chairs will also be set up for your convenience.

While there is no cover charge for the event, they are hoping to get donations from patrons in a variety of ways, such as asking for non-perishable food items.

Their press release states, “In addition to exceptional musicians, we have an excellent silent auction with something for everyone from massages and wine baskets to welding lessons. We also will have raffles and drawings throughout the day, and daily raffle calendars for sale for $10, with 28 chances to win cash, gas cards, and much more.”

If you would prefer to donate with a credit card, you can on line here to donate.

What a great escape! Enjoy a cup of coffee during the day while listening to music at Coastal Roasters. Later that night you can grab some food and drink while enjoying the music and the view of the water at Evelyn’s Drive-in. You might even win something from one of the raffles. You can enjoy all this while knowing you are helping to support a great cause.

Moms, you can bring along the kids too. They can enjoy the music and learn about the importance of helping the community. Maybe, like Jane, they too can be inspired to come up with a fun idea to help those in need.

Quick info:

Sing Out Against Hunger

Where/When: Evelyn’s Drive-In 2335 Main Road Tiverton RI 9/15- 6pm-8pm, 9/16 5pm-9pm, 9/17 12pm-9pm, 9/18-12pm-7pm; Coastal Roasters 1791 Main Road Tiverton, RI: 9/17 9am-12pm, 9/18 9am-12pm See schedule here.
Why Go: Enjoy some great music and participate in a silent auction and other fundraising activities to benefit local food pantries.
Cost: The event is free and open to the public. However, attendees are asked to bring canned food items and participate in the fundraising activities during the event.