Holiday music brings cheer to Helping Hands
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Helping Hands soup kitchen hosted its first holiday music event on Saturday afternoon to give back to the community.
Live music, dancing and seasonal cheer filled the kitchen’s hall on the 100-block of Seventh Street as the public was invited to sing, dance and celebrate the season with local performers.
The event marked a new effort to open the doors on the weekend and offer the community a welcoming space during the holidays, executive director Angela Braun told the Sun during the event on Saturday afternoon.
Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett joins the women from Hearts Desire to dance as the Dukes of Uke band plays their songs during the holiday music event hosted by Helping Hands on Saturday afternoon. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)
“This is the first time we’ve done this,” Braun said. “We’re trying to branch out a little bit more so we can do more on the weekends and just do a good deed for the public. At this point in the year, everybody can use a little bit of joy.”
The afternoon featured live performances by Dukes of Uke, local musicians, including members of Hearts Desire, one of the bands that approached Helping Hands with the idea of hosting a holiday event focused on giving back to the community.
“It actually wasn’t our idea initially,” Braun said. “One of the women in Hearts Desire wanted to do a good deed for people in the community, and we thought, why not open it up on a weekend? It’s a place to warm up and enjoy some music.”
Helping Hands adjusted its usual dining room setup to accommodate the event, with seating capacity for about 200 people. Admission was by donation, though Braun said no one was turned away for an inability to contribute.
“For this, it was just admission by donation if people were willing,” she said. “If they didn’t have it, they didn’t have it. We had coffee, juice and some dainties, but really it was about the music.”
Braun said the organization hopes to make the Holiday Music event an annual tradition, though this year’s gathering will serve as a learning experience.
“It would be nice to have it every year,” she said. “We’ll try again next year. Anytime you do something new, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but we’ll definitely try again.”
She added that feedback from this year’s event will help shape plans as Helping Hands looks for new ways to connect with the community beyond its regular services.
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