Lakewood Baptist Church hosted its19th Annual Rhode Island Community Food Bank Benefit Concert, Palm Sunday, March 24th. This year’s concert was dedicated to everyone that has come to the concert to support this worthy cause.

The first benefit concert, organized by Pastor Nancie Mooney and Lincoln Smith was held Palm Sunday night April 13, 2003.  Seven churches  participated and 350 lbs. of food and $1,165 was collected for the food bank.

Following Pastor Nancie’s retirement, Lincoln continued putting the concerts together until 2019.  Due to COVID concerts were not held from 2020 - 2022.  Over the first 18 years of concerts raised $43,394.46 and  8,485 lbs. of food for the food bank and Westbay Marketplace.

This year  $4,297 was raised from the free will offering for the food bank, and  1,207 lbs. of food was delivered to Westbay Marketplace, the single largest collection since the concerts started in 2003.  Also, 225 to 250 attended, the largest audience  since the concerts started in 2003. Those participating included the Warwick Central Baptist Church Choir, Acoaxet Chapel Praise Team, Westport, MA, Spring Green Memorial Church Choir, The Silver Tops, Lakewood Baptist Church Choir, One Voice, Woodbury Union Presbyterian Church, Woodbury Union Presbyterian Church Choir, Haven United Methodist Church, East Providence (Pastor Juhee Lee and Joshua Shin on the violin, Kyung Hee Lee on the piano), Church of Latter-day Saints RI Choir (Sarah Smith on the harp and Sage Wright on the violin) and Pastor George Barclay from Norwood Baptist Church.

Lincoln said Lakewood is a mission-minded church. Through our “HELP END HUNGER” Food Ministry our church collects food every month and has cereal challenges twice a year for West Bay Marketplace.