If you’re looking to enjoy a night of relaxing music, food and wine – while giving back to the needy – the seventh annual Jazz Under the Stars event is around the corner.
The annual event, the primary fundraiser for the Homeless Coalition of San Benito County, is set for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at St. Benedict Hall, 1200 Fairview Road.
It will feature music from “Mr. O’s Jazz Orchestra” and “Dog House Crew.” There will be a silent auction and local vendors providing food, wine, soft drinks and other beverages, including sake and beer this year for the first time.
In past years, the homeless coalition has drawn out-of-town music acts, but decided to stay local in 2012, said David Huboi, who oversees entertainment for Jazz Under the Stars and will be playing guitar with “Dog House Crew.”
“We have so much talent going on in San Benito County,” Huboi said.
The coalition – which runs the seasonal San Benito County Homeless Shelter at the Southside Road migrant camp – had 18 vendors confirmed as of Tuesday, said the organization’s Executive Director Cindy Parr Messina.
Organizers hope for 300 to 400 people, while there were 270 in attendance last year, she said.
Parr Messina said the group raised $6,500 in 2011 from the silent auction alone, which will feature an artistic chair from Shannon Grissom and a hand-crafted bench as well.
The event carries a lot of importance for the homeless coalition as it works toward a goal of opening a permanent shelter. Funds raised from Jazz Under the Stars, for now, go toward keeping the temporary shelter open for its scheduled slate of November through mid-March. Parr Messina noted that the Community Development Block Grant funding application for 2012 – a total of $1.2 million to various organizations, including the shelter – remains uncertain.
She said the organization could find out about CDBG funding as early as Monday.
“If we get it, of course we’re fine,” she said. “If we don’t, we’re really counting on this fundraiser.”
She hopes the event can generate around $25,000 “so we don’t have to shut early.”
While the coalition maintains the seasonal shelter and pursues grant funds for a permanent operation, it has taken up other efforts such as a program working with property owners to provide housing for the homeless, and efforts to have 151 acres near Highway 25 and San Felipe Road – along with the area by the old convalescent hospital – zoned as appropriate for a homeless shelter.
EVENT BASICS
The Homeless Coalition of San Benito County is hosting Jazz Under the Stars, a benefit for the homeless coalition and the Save the Music Drive, Aug. 18, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at St. Benedict’s Hall, 1200 Fairview Road, in Hollister. The event will feature food, wine, a silent auction and music by Joe Ostenson and the Dog House Crew, featuring David Huboi. Tickets are $50 per person, with tables for 10 available for $500. Diamond sponsors can reserve a table for 10 for $1,000. The event is outdoor and attendees should be 21 and over. To purchase tickets, mail a check payable to: Homeless Coalition, PO Box 2710, Hollister, CA, 95024 or call Doug Emerson at (831) 637-8399.
