Photo via Facebook / The Gathering
Fat Tuesday is just around the corner, and for local meal program The Gathering, it is generally a celebration of their work, providing meals to those in need. This year, their Mardi Gras benefit will move to a virtual environment, in recognition of 39 years of serving the Milwaukee community. While the gala event is a focal point of The Gathering’s yearly calendar, this year will be just a bit different.
Beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, The Gathering has an interactive night of Cajun-themed events planned, including “psychic” readings akin to what you would experience in New Orleans’ French Quarter, and music from saxophonist Olu Sijuwade. The evening will also include featured interviews and testimonials with members of The Gathering’s partner organizations, including Running Rebels Community Organization, Feeding America Southeastern Wisconsin, the Hunger Task Force and more.
“The pandemic affected The Gathering in ways that nobody imagined. Our small staff of 10 had to step up dramatically as volunteer numbers declined” said Natalee Kashou, marketing and development manager for The Gathering. “At one point, we weren’t having any volunteers come in. Our staff operates three meal programs, six days a week. Expenses add up when you’re feeding anywhere from 100-300 people daily, and we ended up buying things that were normally donated to us. Fundraising events like this really help support our mission.”
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Naturally, there’s a food component to the Virtual Mardi Gras as well. The Tandem Restaurant will be donating a Cajun-themed meal and dessert to the top two levels of registrants for the event. Volunteers will be delivering the meals to doorsteps, along with Mardi Gras beads on the night of the celebration.
“We’ve worked with Tandem in the past, and they’ve really been a great partner for us” said Kashou. “They really stepped up for this event. We ultimately have the same mission of feeding people, and we greatly appreciate their involvement with our Mardi Gras.”
If you’re interested in virtually attending The Gathering’s Mardi Gras celebration, you can purchase tickets by visiting The Gathering’s website. There are four tiers of available, with proceeds from the virtual tickets benefiting the organization.
