All of the generous donations collected at this week's Taste of Summer Charity Barbecue added up to $1,632.32. All of that money will benefit children in the Southeast.

Moni Loewen is the Executive Director of ROC Eastman which stands for Recreational Opportunities for Children. She says recreation has helped a lot of their clients get through this challenging year.

“In a good way, we are busier than ever which is a big relief to us because we worried a fair bit about our families and how this was affecting everybody and the kids, of course, with so little to do of their normal everyday life. Thankfully, families are engaging more than ever, we are meeting more families than ever, reaching out and supporting more families than we ever have.”

Loewen says, obviously, fundraising has been challenging this year as we are in the middle of a global pandemic. She notes this tough year makes a fundraiser like the Taste of Summer Charity Barbecue ever more special, adding the money will be well used.

“We know that fall and winter is also going to look really different for kids and so we are really excited to put this toward more of that home-based recreation that is going to happen in fall and over the winter and pivot where we need to and keep following the path that this interesting time leads us in.”

Loewen adds it was encouraging to see so many people come through and support ROC Eastman Wednesday at the Taste of Summer Charity Barbecue.