Food Aid, a two-day musical celebration, kicks off Aug. 23 in Forest Park, an event designed to raise funds and help ease hunger and food insecurity in the Westside communities and neighboring suburbs.
The festival, in its third year, is hosted by Robert’s Westside, 7321 Madison St., with its partner WBEZ.
The Food Aid festival allows members of the community to enjoy live entertainment together while also supporting an important cause, said Donnie Biggins, owner of Robert’s Westside.
The organizations that receive proceeds for this event include Unity Fridges (SUA), Beyond Hunger, A House in Austin, Austin Eats Initiative, Best of Proviso Township and Westchester Food Pantry.
Biggins said that he has scheduled a variety of musical artists, many of whom he already had a professional relationship with, to showcase new genres of music.
“We’re always excited to host fantastic musical artists and I like to think that there’s intention in booking an eclectic mix of music for this event,” Biggins said. “I want everybody to discover new things.”
The doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the festival and the music starts at 7 p.m. The event is 21 and up, but attendees under the age of 21 are allowed entrance with a guardian.
The first day of the festival is headlined by James McMurtry, who is an American rock and folk/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist based out of Austin, Texas. McMurtry recently released “The Horses and the Hounds,” which was his first full-length studio album in seven years under the Americana genre.
Also performing the first night will be Chicago-based contemporary Blues musician Anne Harris. There will also be DJ set by Stoned at the Jukebox.
Day two of the festival is headlined by Lydia Loveless, an American alternative country singer-songwriter, whose latest album, “Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again,” was released in 2023. Additional music talent in the 2024 lineup includes Nikki Morgan, High Desire, Frankie Lloyd, Chris Green Quartet, Cheryl Tomblin and North Grove.
In addition to the live entertainment, attendees will be able to get food and win raffle items. General admission tickets are $55, while a reserved table plus general admission costs $65 per seat, which are sold in groups of four to six.
“I want people to experience different styles of music with each other,” Biggins said. “This event is about bringing community together…and doing our part. I want to encourage people to take a risk…to show up whether they know the name or not.”
Lynette Kelly, co-executive director of A House in Austin, said she is excited to see growth in one of the programs at A House in Austin because of the support from the festival. The program is called My Fresh Table, which provides a four-week cooking course to eight families each session.
“We are happy to have more support for the My Fresh Table program, just to continue elevating the program,” Kelly said. “When it comes to health and diet, we find that a parent was once a child, so what ends up happening, they basically prepare the same meals that they grew up eating, and a lot of times in our community those meals are not very healthy.”
My Fresh Table, which is in its third year, empowers families to make healthier choices through helping participants learn about nutrition labels, budgeting and meal preparation. Participants in the program are also supplied with groceries for two meals per class and a personalized recipe binder.
“Something I’m really proud of is the vegetables, the produce,” Kelly said. “Constantly throwing them in the majority of the meals just so people can get comfortable putting vegetables in whatever you’re preparing.”