by Donna Iadipaolo
ON SUNDAY MARCH 22, George Bedard and the Kingpins will be playing a benefit concert, “Rocking for the Homeless,” for the Ann Arbor Vineyard Homeless Ministry at 2275 Platt Road from 4-6 p.m.
Not only will attendees enjoy some amazing, authentic rockabilly, pure blues, and vibrant jazz music—they will be helping and learning about the pressing issue of homelessness.
Bedard does not just donate his musical abilities to benefit the homeless population, but he also rolls up his sleeves and does the important work itself. He started volunteering with the outreach last winter.
“I have worked in the kitchen for the Super Bowl Sunday chili dinner of 2014, when Wendy (Smith) and I cooked chili for 150 of our homeless friends,” said Bedard. “We also have worked Fridays in the park, serving food and coffee to those on the streets. This year, Wendy, her kids, and I worked the Thanksgiving dinner at Vineyard as well. I was mostly in the kitchen scrubbing pots and pans throughout the afternoon.”
Wendy Smith is an integral part of George’s music business and is also donating her time and talent for the ministry. She found out about the outreach a year ago on Thanksgiving Thursday and the very next night she and George showed up to help at the park and a terrific partnership was created.
Every Friday of every month of every year since 2006—regardless of snow, sleet, rain, heat, holidays—the volunteers of the Homeless Ministry pack an old truck full of food, groceries, clothing, blankets, coats, hats, gloves, and other donated items, along with freshly brewed coffee and hot pizzas, and head out to Liberty Plaza Park (at Liberty and Division Streets) in downtown Ann Arbor to meet the homeless.
Unlike most outreach programs that require the homeless and hungry to travel to them, this outreach takes it directly to the streets. In addition to Friday Night Food & Fellowship, the group hosts a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and one week of the winter rotating shelter, among other events.
Bedard also gives of his talent and time for other worthy causes.
“I have done benefit concerts for a variety of groups, including the Grillin’ for Food Gatherers each year in June,” said Bedard. “This will be the first benefit concert for the Homeless Ministry. As I have become involved in volunteering with this group, I am acutely aware of the need for serving this population of our community by providing food, clothing, and other supplies as well as access to services they need.”
And expectations are high for this event.
“Of course we hope to have a full house,” said Bedard. “We can host about 435 people and are hoping that folks around the Ann Arbor community will be able to come out on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy the music in a new venue.”
Everyone is invited to the concert, including families, children, and grandparents. Along with raising money for the underserved, Bedard and the ministry want to educate people about the issue of homelessness.
“We hope this event will raise further awareness of the perils of the homeless in our area and also increase the awareness of the need for volunteers and donations of all sorts,” said Bedard. “This will be an opportunity for families to come with their children, grandparents, etc., to come out where there is free onsite parking and to still be back home before dark. We wanted to make this concert accessible to as broad an audience as possible.”
Because this winter has been particularly treacherous, the ministry needs to raise funds to continue their efforts.
Mary Ann Trainor is Co-Leader of the Ann Arbor Vineyard Homeless Ministry and has been volunteering for the past eight years.
“With the brutal winter we have been experiencing—below freezing temperatures, snow, ice storms, and wind—many of our homeless friends needed extra help as early on as this past December,” said Trainor. “That meant purchasing extra hats, gloves, scarves, long johns, socks, and boots because our normal donations didn’t keep up with our needs. We also give out more canned goods and snacks during the winter and try to help support the warming centers that open up in this bitter cold.
Trainor is also active in other efforts to help the homeless.
“We attend City Council meetings when Homeless issues are on the agenda to show support to those who are trying to help get affordable housing, to set up warming centers around Ann Arbor, to try to get zoning laws changed so the homeless can set up legal tent cities,” said Trainor. “We partner with MISSION, Camp-Take-Notice, Delonis Center, PORT, and other organizations that work to make changes for the homeless.”
And Trainor is also a fan of really good music, like George Bedard and the Kingpins.
“Having been a musician since he was 17, George Bedard today is hailed as a local and national treasure and if you have been in Ann Arbor for any length of time, you don’t have to ask ‘George who?’” said Trainor. “He is known far and wide and we are very fortunate to have him and The Kingpins, including Rich Dishman and Pat Prouty, volunteer their time and talent to do this gig to benefit the underserved in our area.”
“Not only did George agree to do this, but for the past year he also has been volunteering at Liberty Plaza Park on some Friday nights (where we serve pizza, hot and cold beverages, packed bags give out whatever donated or store-bought clothing every single week), and at the Homeless Ministry’s Thanksgiving meal and Super Bowl event. He gets his hands dirty just like everyone else on the volunteer team, but he also gets them clean washing pots and pans, like he did at the church during this past Thanksgiving dinner.”
The funds raised at the concert will help replenish their supply of canned goods, (soups, pasta, tuna, etc.) bottled water and other beverages, hand warmers, gloves, socks, and hygiene items.
“The severe temperatures also have done a bit of a number on the old used van where we pack all our food, clothes, tables, et cetera, to set up at the park every Friday night,” explained Trainor. “We have had battery issues and other cold-weather ills that have needed attention this year.”
Every Friday night, after passing out food and supplies, team members fan out into the park to bring another precious commodity—fellowship. Volunteers visit with as many people as possible, sometimes having a lot of quick chats, other times spending the entire evening talking to one person—about the weather, sports, the economy, their need.
Homeless activists point out that homelessness does not discriminate. Many of us are only one paycheck, one illness, or one accident away from being homeless.
Everyone is invited to volunteer to help at any of these events plus there are ongoing needs such as shopping, sorting donations, packing grocery bags, picking up food from Food Gatherers, and raising funds.
“We couldn’t do all that we do without Food Gatherers as our partner,” said Trainor. “We have a regular pickup time at their facilities when our volunteers shop among their storehouse of food offerings. Some of the items we get for free and some we pay for at reduced cost.”
The benefit concert will be held at the facilities of Ann Arbor Vineyard, which boasts a great sound system, comfortable seating, and plenty of free on-site parking. General admission for the 4:00pm concert is $10 at the door (doors open at 3:30pm). All proceeds go the Homeless Ministry, plus you will get to hear the very best music in town.