When 21st Amendment Distillery sent out a “Let’s band together” call to action to support local residents affected by the tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton, Vero Beach answered.
Less than a week after the storms ravaged parts of Vero Beach and the Treasure Coast, more than 150 community members attended the Band for a Cause Donation Drive and Music Mashup to assist others.
Distillery owner Jeff Palleschi said he had thought of the idea earlier, when considering how to assist the thousands of people affected by Hurricane Helene in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
“I remembered Life Aid,” said Palleschi, referencing the 16-hour concert held in 1985 to raise funds for famine relief in Africa.
Plans were already in the works to host a fundraiser for Helene victims when the Hurricane Milton tornadoes hit, and Palleschi decided to modify the fundraising efforts and support local relief efforts instead.
“I feel bad for the people in other areas, but we need to take care of Vero first,” said Palleschi.
He said he began reaching out to the bands that regularly play at 21st Amendment, and within half an hour, six bands had agreed to volunteer their time to play.
“The bands really came together,” said Palleschi.
Performers playing for a cause included Kenny Clarke, Bobby and the Blisters, Frank Centrone, the Brenna Bavis Duo, Kate Maingot + Muffy, and Vintage.
To minimize downtime between groups, they created a lineup that would allow them to transition quickly from one band to the next, even sharing equipment. Their performances were an impressive case of bands banding together to get the community back on its feet.
The energy throughout the distillery was palpable as folks counted their blessings and shared stories of their own storm experiences.
Cash donations and 10 percent of the evening’s sales were given to the United Way of Indian River County Disaster Relief Fund.
The United Way had set up a relief command center at the United Against Poverty UP Center, and all the nonperishable items dropped off during the mashup were sent there for distribution.
According to Palleschi, they were able to deliver three pickup trucks full of food, water, diapers, and other supplies.
“These two organizations are great. They have the money raised and items collected earmarked for Indian River County. Everything is staying right here,” added Palleschi.
“The community of Vero Beach is unbelievable. Just when you think everybody is tapped out, they step up and do even more.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis
