Oak Ridge concert, fundraising party Saturday for Ecumenical Storehouse
Planning to put “fun” into its first fundraising party, the Ecumenical Storehouse, which is almost 40 years old, will host a free concert of blues-based music performed by Wendel Werner and the Strange Relationship band.
The Ecumenical Storehouse Community Concert and Fundraising Party will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 29, at the Historic Grove Theater, 123 Randolph Road. The concert will start at 7 p.m. The public is invited to come for all, or part, of the three-hour event.
Donations by cash, checks or credit card will be accepted in the lobby to support the operation of the storehouse, which provides free furniture and household goods to people experiencing financial hardship, such as the working poor and those whose homes have been destroyed by fire or storms. Funds are needed to pay the building’s rent and utility bills and buy office materials and gas for the pickup truck.
Also in the lobby will be a bake sale, refreshments, and a sale of “pre-owned treasures.” A silent auction will feature a bronze sculpture and decorative console cabinet, as well as numerous framed signed prints, all of which can be viewed at http://thestorehouseinc.org.
Werner, one of the most talented and creative musicians in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area, plays piano and keyboard, sings and composes music. His seven-piece band has performed at multiple venues in the Knoxville area.
“I’ve written a few musicals and operas, and I have composed music in every major genre - country, jazz, rock, pop, and classical,” he has said. “The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra performed a piece of mine once. I have worked in at least 10 churches and taught music in six area colleges.”
The band consists of Werner on keyboard (and as a vocalist), Ellen Carnes on alto saxophone and Peggy Bertrand Terpstra on tenor saxophone, and four female singers – Alison Werner, Betsy Sonewald, Emilee Jane Bradshaw and Anna Caroline Causey.
Terpstra, who is president of the board of directors of the Ecumenical Storehouse, located at 134 E. Division Road, said the band will perform blues-based cover songs, including reinterpretations of original songs by Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Tina Turner and Motown groups.
Concerning the Ecumenical Storehouse, Terpstra said that it is operated by volunteers from 12 congregations on a rotating basis and that it serves clients mostly from Anderson County, but also from Roane, Campbell, Morgan and Scott counties. According to the website, “The Storehouse accepts, stores and distributes almost every type of household good – essentially everything a person would need to set up a small living quarters, except food and clothes. Clients must be referred by a government or social services agency with knowledge of their situation. Clients are served regardless of race, faith, gender, or handicap.”
Terpstra has talked to many clients and heard their stories.
"Many of our clients are the working poor in Appalachia who have a place to live, but must choose whether to buy food, medicines or furniture. Often, they don’t have the money for furniture. Some who need furniture and other household goods have moved here from out of state. Some are living in public housing and don’t yet have a job. Some are women who have moved to escape a domestic violence situation. Some are getting custody of children or regaining custody of children.”
A client gives back; shows gratitude for being treated with dignity
One woman who donated a recliner revealed that she was a former client who had “lost everything while recovering from a drug addiction” Terpstra said. “The woman said the Ecumenical Storehouse volunteers helped her out, giving her furniture and treating her with dignity. Now, she is no longer taking drugs and is employed and wants to donate to the storehouse out of gratitude.”
Among the largest donors of beds, mattresses, linens, sofas, chairs, tables, TVs, coffee makers and wall pictures are hotels, she said. Individual donors of furniture and household goods, she added, should call the Storehouse at 865-481-0274 to schedule a pickup, or they can bring donations to the Storehouse by truck, van or car to the storehouse between 10 a.m. and noon on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays.
According to its website, “The Ecumenical Storehouse Inc., is a member of the United Way of Anderson County and receives funds from that organization, grants from other agencies (e.g., for purchases of microwave ovens clients need) and donations of household goods and funds from local churches and individuals. While helping hundreds of families and children in need each year, this ministry has also kept thousands of pounds of re-useable household goods out of dumps, making it a very ‘green’ operation.”
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge concert, party Saturday for Ecumenical Storehouse
