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Cold beer - warm hearts

Sales of beer and wine will help fund Rotary Club projects

Scott Spielman ” “We've applied for a grant to supply
Special Writer kitchen kits to these families.”
The Beer and Wine garden They also partner with the larger
The Canton Rotary Club will offer will be open from Rotary Foundation to fund the Shelter
up a variety of beverages to festival- Box program, which initiated in the
goers this weekend at the Canton 4-10 p.m. Thursday and United Kingdom about 19 years ago.
Liberty Festival. Friday as well as Shelter Box provides necessities to
Canton Rotarians and other volun- families who are displaced by emer-
teers will operate a beer and wine gar- 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. gencies, including a tent, sleeping bags,
den at the top of the hill near the on Saturday. water purifiers and other items packed
amphitheater, as well as a booth selling into a plastic bin that can be used to
soft drinks and water along the path collect rainwater when it's emptied.
closer to the main stage. They've partnered with Friends of
“We use the profits from this to sup- the Liberty Fest provide a number of the Rouge to plant rain gardens in the
port the charitable work we do benefits for the community. community, the Salvation Army to pro-
throughout the year,” said Susan The Rotarians provide scholarships vide school supplies, scout troops to
Kowalski, president of the Canton for Plymouth-Canton students-this fund Eagle Scout banquets, bowling
Rotary Club. year, they gave out $5,000. They recent- and pizza parties for international
The club will partner with O & W ly installed a free library, along with a exchange students and more. Last year,
Distributors to provide craft beers, bench nearby, in Griffin Park -they had they supplied 70 Christmas gift baskets
wines and hard ciders and the Canton previously funded one at Flodin Park- that were distributed through Meals on
Optimist Club, Plymouth A.M. Rotary and planted trees in Heritage Park and Wheels to area seniors.
and other volunteers to keep the lines Griffin Park. “For a lot of these seniors, it's the
flowing smoothly. Food trucks will be This year, Kowalski said the club is only Christmas gift they get,” she said.
parked nearby, so attendees can grab working with St. Vincent De Paul to The Beer and Wine garden will be
some food, a drink and enjoy the enter- supply kitchen kits to the working open from 4-10 p.m. Thursday and
tainment on the main stage. homeless in the community. Through Friday as well as 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on
“It's all designed to be convenient,” the program, St. Vincent De Paul iden- Saturday.
Kowalski said. tifies the working families in needs, Kowalski said the club is always
Chartered in 1977, the Canton provides financial education, upgrades looking for new members, too. They
Rotary Club has participated in the their job skills and helps them secure meet weekly at L.A. Bistro on Cherry
Liberty Fest for more than four years. housing. Hill and Sheldon road. For more infor-
They took over the beverage tent about “Once they move into a home, they mation about the club, visit www.can-
three years ago. The funds they raise at don't have anything,” Kowalski said. tonrotary.com.