FALMOUTH – As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history enters its fifth week, a local organization is doing its part to support the Falmouth Service Center’s FRESH Market.
Heroes In Transition (HIT) is hosting a Valentine’s Night fundraiser on Saturday, February 16, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the Flying Bridge Restaurant in Falmouth.
All funds collected at the event will be directly donated to the Falmouth Service Center’s mobile FRESH Market, which provides food to those at Joint Base Cape Cod several times a month. HIT has supported the market in recent years.
“We’re going to have a dance on February 16, it’s sort of a Valentine’s Day dance. I don’t know the name of the band yet, we’re working on that. We’re going to guarantee at least $10,000 for replenishing of their supplies,” said HIT Board Member Bill Zammer.
“I just got a blurb today that they’re running out of things like toilet paper, they have nothing at this point, they have no money. I sure hope people will join us.”
Zammer and his wife, Linda, join Samuel and Judith Lorusso of North Falmouth, Robert and Valerie Zammito of Mashpee, and HIT Board Member Ronald and Donna Bonvie of Mashpee, in coming up with the idea for the fundraiser. The group organizes the annual Veterans Day breakfasts at the Flying Bridge and Clancy’s Restaurant in Dennis Port which are both owned by the Zammers.
“We found out bad things were going at the Falmouth Service Center. Yesterday she had 280n people going through there and now the Coast Guard guys are going through. It’s just criminal what’s happening, so we just felt we had to do something,” said Bill Zammer.
With Coast Guard employees not receiving any pay this month due to the shutdown and Coast Guard veterans potentially facing a similar fate with their pension checks next month, Zammer said there was no question on whether to act.
The cost to attend the Valentine’s Night fundraiser is $10 per person and will include live music.
Tickets can be purchased at the Flying Bridge in advance or at the door the night of the event. All funds raised will go to HIT which will distribute them to the Falmouth Service Center’s FRESH Market.
Since the shutdown, HIT has increased its efforts to support those in the Coast Guard. This week, it gave 150 gift cards to local supermarkets and pharmacies, totaling $3,000, to the Cape Cod Coast Guard Spouses Association, as well as another $5,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Corpus Christi Parish in East Sandwich which will go to veterans and military families in the region experiencing financial difficulties.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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