The 306 Restaurant donates $517 in Wings and Wheels proceeds to Gerry’s Food Pantry: Skyhaven Airport (KDAW), Rochester, New Hampshire

ROCHESTER — The 306 Restaurant presented a check to Gerry’s Food Pantry on Thursday, as part of a donation of all of its proceeds made from the Wings and Wheels event, held at the Skyhaven Airport in August.

The $517 check is part of an approximately $2,200 made in donations to the pantry after the event, hosted by the Police Department.

Vince Crout-Hamel, owner of The 306, said donating all of the restaurant’s proceeds from the event was a way to give back to the pantry that has been serving Rochester’s residents for decades.

“We’ve always worked with Gerry’s Food Pantry,” said Crout-Hamel. “They take care of everybody. They’ve been around for a long time.”

He said that today, The 306 Restaurant will donate an additional $1 for each glass of the 103 Brew being sold at the restaurant. Crout-Hamel said he expects to give another check to the pantry, totaling about $200, in the near future.

Lisa Fernald, coordinator at Gerry’s Food Pantry, said donations from the Wings and Wheels event has been a huge help. The donations came in just as shelves at the pantry were becoming more empty.
 
While the pantry sees weekly donations of food and other items from local churches, monetary donations help the pantry “fill in the gaps” in its inventory. With the recent donations from the Wings and Wheels event, the pantry was able to purchase items such as canned potatoes, peanut butter and shampoo.

“We are very lucky that we get to give out personal hygiene items,” said Fernald.

Each month, the pantry serves 350 to 550 people on average, she said. While the numbers of people served has slightly decreased this year, the pantry is seeing more families coming in for help for the first time. Some, she said, are struggling with financial problems, such as unemployment benefits running out, or food stamps benefits being decreased.

Police Officer Tracy Hayes, who coordinated the inaugural Wings and Wheels event, said planning for next year’s event has already begun.

“It’s going to be bigger and better,” she said.

Source: http://www.fosters.com