By Dianne Anderson

A different kind of soul food event will smash lots of old school memories this month while potentially helping feed thousands of local families just in time before the holidays rush in.

In the mix, The Magical Music of Motown Hunger Relief Benefit Concert will appeal to every generation with superhits that everyone knows by heart.

On Saturday, October 14, the benefit concert features some of the nation’s top talent, held at San Bernardino Valley College at the Historic San Bernardino College Auditorium from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Tickets are $50.

While no actual food will be served at the two-hour “United 2 Feed The Need” production hosted by Arrowhead United Way, the production helps low income families and students with food for months to come.

Dr. Gwen Dowdy Rodgers said the timing is perfect.

“What better way than to do a Motown at our historical college and just come together for a night of just being together? You can dress up if you want to, not dress up, but come and feel the mood and music,” said Dr. Dowdy Rodgers, AUW president.

She credits board member Alton Garrett for coming up with the entertainment concept that she hopes can become their annual signature fundraising event to get more food out to the community.

Some of the band members were formerly with Earth, Wind and Fire.

“He recommended this group that has traveled all over,” she said. “This is big time, they are renowned. It’s about coming out to reflect on the music. It takes you through a journey of, ‘Where was I at when this song came out?’”

At Arrowhead United Way, she said calls come in nonstop for help because of the local food insecurity, especially for seniors and young people, which is why they support the SBVC campus food pantry.

“We have students in need of food. This concert allows us to extend help to their entire family, and another place to get food when the campus is not available. That’s where we pick up and be a true partner because we do get food, but it’s never enough,” she said.

Anything that can help a family not have to decide between dinner and a gallon of gas is the goal. The other day she did a double take passing by the gas station when she realized how much it had soared.

“It’s $6 a gallon, and nobody is saying anything. No one is saying a word. What’s going on?” she said.

The lowest income folks of San Bernardino apparently can’t even afford a bus pass. Just driving through the city streets, she sees the need. One dad was walking a long way toward school with his child the other morning.

“They still had a distance to where they were going, can this person not afford a bus pass? We have this big bus that goes down this street with nobody on it,” she said.

Others are regularly randomly walking with shopping carts and tarps. At this point, she said they need all hands on deck.

“At Arrowhead United Way, we are investors in the kindness of others, it’s not where we get tons of money all the time, it’s relationships and partnerships,” she said.

Their organization is adopting senior citizen homes. Along with food from various donors, she said they get medical supplies, and distribute crutches, wheelchairs, and other necessities they can’t afford through their insurance.

“As soon as we get it in, it’s out the door,” she said. “Over 130 years, Arrowhead United Way was doing this work in the good and bad times. Imagine the times we’re in now.”

She said they had to reduce to six staff members, but are still covering a lot of territory. The nonprofit organization is based in San Bernardino with funding for San Bernardino, but also supports Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace and people in the mountains.

For this event, she said they are aiming to fill all 500 seats, and said they have had a strong response. People are calling in because they understand the cause.

“People are busy, they’re saying I can’t go, but I want to buy 10 tickets and give them out to individuals,” she said.

In this last fiscal year alone, Arrowhead United Way gave over half a million dollars in funding that they were able to raise. It goes straight back out to the community. She said they have distributed thousands of pounds of food and hundreds of brand new medical supplies.

“It was supporting people [affected by] COVID, they couldn’t pay their water bills, light bills, basic needs. They needed food,” she said. “It all goes toward basic needs that align with health, education and to be financially stable.”

With Thanksgiving just weeks away, she specifically chose this time for the benefit concert because so many families will be scrambling to get dinner.

“We have to try to get turkeys and fixings and whatever we can get from the kindness of our partners to be able to put those baskets together and supplement what we have to give,” she said.

That’s just for starters, then an even bigger demand comes in December.

“We’re going into the most giving time that individuals need to eat and be together and feel like they made it through another year,” she said.

To attend or support the cause, see

https://www.arrowheadunitedway.org/