Benefit concert raises $15K for anti-hunger efforts

Eastern hosted an all-star band of New Orleans musicians on Jan. 10, raising $15,000 for two local antihunger organizations. The Take Me to the River All-Stars Live presented an evening of funk, soul, and rhythm in a packed FAIC Concert Hall, with all proceeds benefiting Willimantic’s Covenant Soup Kitchen and Eastern’s Shawn’s Cupboard food pantry for food-insecure students.

The concert brought together legendary artists Cyril Neville, Omari Neville, Ian Neville, Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., Jelly Joseph, Robert Mercurio, Joe Ashlar, Brian Richburg Jr., and Martin Shore.

Local music legend David Foster, the concert's executive producer and longtime friend of Eastern, noted the caliber of musicians on stage, led by three members of the R&B/soul legends The Neville Brothers.

"Every member on stage was a first-rate, top-of-the-heap musician," said Foster. "It's a real feather in the cap for Eastern and the entire community to have hosted them. They created an upbeat, Mardi Gras-style jazz festival atmosphere, and every penny raised goes toward addressing food challenges in the area.”

More than 300 concertgoers packed the Concert Hall, of which Foster added, "Acoustically and visually, there’s not a bad seat in the house."

The concert was also supported by Shaboo Productions and the Lester E. Foster & Phyllis M. Foster Foundation.

"We were thrilled to partner with David and Marilyn Foster and Shaboo Productions to bring this exciting concert to Eastern and the Windham community. ... That it also serves as a benefit concert to address food insecurity made it especially meaningful during this season of giving."