Marine Heritage Festival ‘pays it forward’ to the community

Marine Heritage Society (MHS) was all set to celebrate and mark the 10th anniversary of the Marine Heritage Festival in Southampton.  Unfortunately, however, COVID-19 had other plans and the Festival, like many others, had to be cancelled.

Despite the cancellation, it didn’t stop the MHS from helping out the community.  The group that receives sponsorship funding from major sponsors, such as Bruce Power and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), for its annual Marine Heritage Festival in Southampton, made the decision to return the funds in support of pandemic relief.  Instead however, the sponsors decided to let MHS retain their sponsorship funds and MHS then decided to ‘pay it forward’ in the community.

The first stop on Friday, July 31st, was the Salvation Army Food Bank in Port Elgin (Saugeen Shores).  “We know how important it is to support our families in need,” said MHS Festival co-Chair Dave Wenn, “and we understand that the Food Bank can use funds to buy in bulk so that the funds raised or donated go so much further in filling the shelves.”

Salvation Major Connie Armstrong said that the $1,000 donation is “… wonderful.  It will go a long way in helping us provide the items that are needed in the community.”

(L) Salvation Army Major Connie Armstrong, Captain Wayne Sparrow, Marine                   Heritage Festival co-Chair Dave Wenn and Salvation Army Volunteer                                        Co-ordinator Diane Thorne

Next stop for Wenn and Captain Sparrow (a.k.a.Wayne Kaufman) was the Saugeen Memorial Hospital in Southampton where $2,500 was donated.

   (L) Dave Wenn, Captain Sparrow, Tracy Murray (Exec. Dir. Saugeen Memorial Foundation) and Jim Barbour                                                                  (Chair of the Hospital Foundation)

“There is nothing more important than supporting health care and keeping it close to home,” said Wenn.  ‘Captain Sparrow’ added that he was happy to ‘share the gold’ normally found at the Festival ‘gold hunt’ at Southampton Harbour during the weekend Festival.

‘Captain Wayne Sparrow’ sported his new mask, also in support of local health care.  Kristen’s Pharmacy in Southampton is selling the unique masks with a portion of every sale going to the local Saugeen Memorial Hospital.