Leesburg food pantry concert

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Glenn Bowles, who has toured with The Van-Dells and been named a top Elvis Presley tribute artist, will be the featured act for the fourth annual concert for the Friendly Village Community Center Food Pantry in Leesburg.

The concert will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Leesburg United Methodist Church, 119 Church St.

The food pantry, which opened under its current format in 2009, provides basic food needs for approximately 70 families each month in the Fairfield Local School District.

Linda Johnson, a lay speaker at the church and volunteer with the food pantry, said she went to a benefit concert recently where Bowles was performing at the Hillsboro Church of Christ and asked him if he would be interested in helping the Leesburg pantry.

Bowles accepted the offer.

“Glenn will take you through the not often explored gospel music of Elvis Presley as well as share his own personal journey toward salvation. Also featured will be the LUMC’s Crazy Praising Puppets and Leesburg’s 4-Given Quartet,” Johnson said.

Admission is free, but a freewill offering will be taken with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the food pantry.

Directed by Jeanetta Turner, the community center gets its funding from local churches, civic organizations and individual donations.

“But extra help is needed during the holiday season,” Johnson said.

The center is collecting gloves, hats and scarves for all ages. In addition to providing food, the center also spearheads an Adopt-A-Child Christmas Program in Leesburg. It has around 100 children in the program. Anyone interested in adopting a child for Christmas can stop in and see Turner at the center or call 937-780-1093.

The center moved this year to Pope Street, directly behind Highland County North Joint Fire and Ambulance District in Leesburg. It is open the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon.

Johnson said the center regularly serves families in the Fairfield School District only. She said people in need are usually directed to the center through one of the local churches, but those in need can also contact the center. She also said that if someone from outside the school district seeks help from the center, it will provide them food and direct them to a food pantry elsewhere.

“We want to serve whatever people are in need in the Fairfield School District,” Johnson said. “The mission statement says we are a non-profit organization sponsored by the Fairfield Ministerial Association striving to serve the hunger needs of the families living the Fairfield School District.”

Anyone wanting to donate to the center by mail should make checks payable to the Friendly Village Community Center, P.O. Box 194, Leesburg, Ohio 45135.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.

Bowles
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/11/web1_Bowles-pic.jpgBowles
Former Van-Dells member will be featured act

By Jeff Gilliland

[email protected]

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