By Beth David, Editor
The Fairhaven Selectboard heard about plans for the annual Serve-A-Thon in September that will benefit the Salvation Army and Mobile Loaves and Fishes. The work done will benefit the town of Fairhaven, too.
To participate in the Serve-A-Thon, volunteers get donors to sponsor them to do work at various non-profits and on projects that benefit local communities.
In Fairhaven last year, volunteers spruced up the Veterans Memorial on Route 6. This year, work is slated for Cooke Memorial Park.
Steven Bouley told the board he will meet with the Beautification Committee and other town boards to coordinate the effort.
“We’re going to provide the labor force,” said Mr. Bouley.
He told the board that some volunteers will work at a farm in Dartmouth, some will be painting, and one person is jumping out of a plane.
This year, the event is also holding a bicycle ride from Cooke Memorial Park to Plymouth, called the Pilgrim Ride, on the same day. The 70-mile ride will leave from Cooke park at 8 a.m.
Cooke Memorial Park is the site of a memorial for John Cooke, who was 14 when he arrived aboard the Mayflower with his father Francis Cooke. John Cooke was the only one of the original Pilgrims to actually live in Fairhaven, which was the Dartmouth Township at the time.
When he died in 1695, he was the last male passenger of the Mayflower.
“How awesome we are in this geography,” said Mr. Bouley, calling this area the “cradle of religious freedom in the new world.”
He encouraged people to volunteer at the Serve-A-Thon, and to join the bike ride. He said riders can sponsor themselves.
“It’s exciting to see the community come alive in a cooperative way,” said Mr. Bouley. “It’s not a competitive thing. It’s exciting. It’s exciting.”
Board members expressed their support for the program, with board member Bob Espindola indicting, he may even go on the bike ride.
For more information and participation packets, visit www.Lift-in-Love.org, find them on Facebook, or call Major BethEllen Parkhurst at 508 997-6561, or Steve Bouley at 508-264-8211. The group meets regularly at the Salvation Army office, 619 Purchase Street, New Bedford.
On September 10, volunteers will be at Cooke Memorial Park from 9 a.m. to noon. There are also Serve-A-Thon service locations in Acushnet, Dartmouth and New Bedford.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church that has provided support for people in need for 130 years. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from the Salvation Army every year, according to their website.
Mobile Loaves and Fishes provides meals, clothing, hygiene products, and other life-sustaining items to homeless people in New Bedford. They operate locally out of St. Paul’s Church in New Bedford, and estimate serving 50,000 meals a year. Call for truck locations 508-993-0614
Visit http://www.lift-in-love.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Serve-a-thon-Brochure.pdf for more info.
For more information on the bike ride visit http://www.lift-in-love.org/ 2016/06/25/the-pilgrim-ride/
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