Knights of Columbus Event Grows with Community Support
Results from the Garden Fest event presented by the Knights of Columbus 2319 blossomed into a fruitful fundraiser held in the Holy Rosary parking lot in Thorold on April 9 to 11. Net proceeds of $4,100 raised at the 3-day event will support four local organizations.
- Special Olympics
- St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank
- Wellspring Niagara
- Holy Rosary Parish
Three charities featured in the fundraiser will benefit equally as Special Olympics (St. Catharines ), St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank and Wellspring Niagara will each receive a $1,200 donation. Additionally, a $500 contribution will go to the Holy Rosary Parish for the use of the facility.
Garden Fest Bottle Drive Collects $700
Patrons from across Niagara drove up with trunks full of empties to support the Bottle Drive that produced more than $700 that contributed to the fundraising total.
“On behalf of Council 2319 of the Knights of Columbus, I would like to thank everyone who made this year’s Garden Fest a huge success. Thanks to our sponsors, community volunteers and all those who attended the event; your support is greatly appreciated! A special thank-you to my fellow Knights who worked tirelessly to plan and run the event and for the extra care required to keep everyone safe given the COVID restrictions.”
Tony Scalzi, Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus 2319
Chantelle Mamone, Wellspring Niagara, meets Tony Scalzi, Knights of Columbus 2319 Grand Knight at Garden Fest. Wellspring is one of the charities to receive a donation from the Garden Fest fundraiser, thanks to the many event partners and sponssors.
Photo by Paul Carfagnini
“We are very happy to support three great community charity organizations: St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank, Wellspring Niagara and Special Olympics. Looking forward to a great event in 2022,”
Tony Scalzi, Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus 2319
Volunteers including many Knights in action worked together to make the event run successfully. Special thanks to Kelly Liddycoat from Bocchinfuso Funeral Home for volunteering on Friday night. Volunteers from the community, Jon-Paul Carfagnini, Matt Redmond, and Zach Colavecchia and John Borsella, stepped up to help at the event. Volunteers on the K of C event team included Tony Scalzi Tim O’Brien, Bob Merrill, Ron Borsella, Mike Tronzo, Albert Ciamarra, Mike Pennachetti, Paul Carfagnini, Tim Whalen, Dan Fenton Ken Mooney, Aurel Domanico, Angelo Domanico, Rick Soccio, Steve Charlton, Joe Pisano, and Nick Pizzacalla.
Thanks to Garden Fest Sponsors
- Bocchinfuso Funeral Home
- Big Red Markets
- Henderson’s Pharmacy
Thanks to numerous partners and sponsors, the first-time event showed how the community can grow together. We are grateful for the financial support from sponsors Bocchinfuso Funeral Home, Big Red Markets and Henderson’s Pharmacy who also supplied us with hand sanitizer to keep people safe.
Growing Together with Garden Fest Event Partners
- City of Thorold
- Country 89
- FD Printing
- Giant FM
- Great Lakes Hydro Seeding
- Holy Rosary Parish
- Impact Promotions
- Niagara Orchard and Vineyard Corp
- Thorold Community Credit Union
- Walker Industries
Walker Industries provided a truck load of compost which was bagged by volunteers for people to pick up for cash donations or non-perishable food offerings to support the food bank. Home Hardware Hartzel Road donated sand bags that were filled with Walker’s compost.
Niagara Orchard and Vineyard Corp provided top quality fertilizers at charitable prices along with Great Lakes Hydro Seeding supplying the event with premium grass seed that sold out.
Volunteers really appreciated the pop up tent made available by the Thorold Community Credit Union. The tent provided shade on Saturday, and cover from the rainfall on Sunday morning.
Impact Promotions provided yard signs that saturated the event message across town and complimentary printing materials including posters, flyers, and order forms.
Giant FM and Country 89 promoted the event on the radio airwaves and online to help build customer traffic. FD Printing produced a super large sign to show patrons all the partners, sponsors, and charities growing together at the event.
The City of Thorold assisted by bringing traffic barriers to help us keep people safe in the parking lot. Special thanks to Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini for visiting Garden Fest on Saturday and offering the Knights some moral support.
Thanks to the Holy Rosary Parish for allowing the Knights to host the event in the parking lot, along with assistance by hall manager Don Lizzotti for his help on the set up.
Plans to Grow Event in 2022
Overall, the event team is pleased with the results from their first Garden Fest event and is considering ideas to grow it into an annual event in 2022.
Stay connected with the Knights of Columbus on their website kofc2319.org or on facebook.com/KofC2319Thorold.