Westbay Community Action is celebrating its 50th year and wants residents to join in the fun.

Westbay Community Action, founded in 1966 during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “war on poverty,” is a charitable organization serving Kent County. It helps with food, utilities, health, safety and education.

“Our mission is to assist economically disadvantaged Kent County residents achieve and sustain self-sufficiency and stability,” said the Westbay CAP Fundraising Committee in a statement. “Westbay remains committed to this pledge by connecting clients with programs and services here at our Warwick, Rhode Island Human Services Mall, and elsewhere in the community.”

Westbay’s programs help individuals and families learn how to build their economic self-sufficiency through education, life-skills training, counseling, and case management. Over 17,000 individuals living in Kent County are serviced by Westbay during a “critical time in their lives.”

“Our mission has remained the same” for all 50 years of operation, said President and CEO Paul Salera.

Programs at Westbay are expansive and help cover numerous aspects of assistance. Services for adults include Adult Education Academy, which offers GED, college readiness, and literacy classes, and Working Wardrobe, which provides free clothing to adults entering the workforce. Plentiful food-related services are offered, one of which is the Senior Dining Program that Salera highlighted. This provides hot lunches to seniors and disabled adults. He added that Westbay has one of the largest food pantries in the state, serving 1,200 families per month. For children and teens, Westbay offers after school programs, nutrition advice, and case management for pregnant and parenting teens.

These are only a few of the programs the Golden Celebration will help to fund, so Westbay’s hoping for a hefty turnout. The event will be held Thursday, October 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza at 801 Greenwich Avenue. The $75 tickets will be on sale until October 13 and can be purchased at westbaycap.org or at their administrative building at 224 Buttonwoods Ave in Warwick. All proceeds will help Westbay Community Action continue its mission by “Helping People, Changing Lives.”