The Island Today: Rascal Flatts performing for a cause

Grace McQuade

BY GRACE MCQUADE

The feel-good acts of giving back and sharing the gift of music will come together on stage this week when Long Island Cares, Long Island’s oldest and largest food bank, kicks off one of the biggest concerts of the summer, their first benefit as part of the Harry Chapin storyteller concert series.

The occasion will take place at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m., with headline performers Rascal Flatts, currently on tour for their tenth studio album, “Back to Us,” and country music artist Todd O’Neill opening the show.

Calling the evening a “maiden event” during a recent interview, Paule Pachter, chief executive officer of Long Island Cares Inc., said he is “very excited” about “being able to get an A-list group like Rascal Flatts to support our mission of fighting hunger on Long Island.”

“This is a group that has played the Pennysaver Amphitheater (in Farmingville) and attracted 10,000 people, and had previously sold out at Jones Beach,” Pachter said.

With 16 No. 1 hits and more than 23 million records sold, the country music trio known as Rascal Flatts has been delivering heart-and foot-stomping songs for nearly two decades  —  classics like “What Hurts the Most,” “Bless the Broken Road,” “These Days” and “I Like the Sound of That.”

The band is also known for its philanthropic efforts, supporting charities that have touched many lives — from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to their current involvement with Long Island Cares.

After O’Neill showcases his Louisiana soul sound, Rascal Flatts will perform their top hits that will include tracks from their latest release, such as “I Know You Won’t,” reminiscent of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” “Love What You’ve Done with the Place,” “Dance,” and the album’s closing anthem, “Our Night To Shine,” symbolic words that represent the generous spirit that will be on display at this launch concert.

In describing how this event and its partnerships came about, Pachter revealed that they had been talking about doing a benefit concert for about a year so when Long Island radio company, JVC Broadcasting, which operates My Country 96.1, asked if they’d be interested in Rascal Flatts, there was no hesitation in moving forward nor on the location.

“Working with the NYCB Theatre at Westbury is something that we’ve been doing for the past nine years,” Pachter said.  “We hosted three of our annual children’s concerts there and we have a very nice relationship with Live Nation – they’ve been very supportive of Long Island Cares and it just seemed like a great venue.”

The question as to whether the community would support the event seems to have been answered given the robust ticket sales so far.

“We’ve sold a little more than 2,400 tickets,” Pachter said at the time of this interview. “There are only 312 tickets left… and we anticipate that before Aug. 31 that this very well might sell out.”

Since Long Island Cares is producing the show, all of the proceeds from ticket sales will go towards supporting their programs and services for people who are food insecure on the island.

Ticketholders are encouraged to bring a donation of non-perishable food to the concert that will be collected in a big tent set up outside the theatre, Pachter said.

There will also be Long Island Cares T-shirts for sale and a raffle to win a guitar signed by Rascal Flatts.

Pachter expressed particular gratitude for the corporate sponsors of the event.

“We were able to sell very quickly five sponsorships at $5000 apiece from corporations that support Long Island Cares,” he said.

These Long Island-based companies include supermarket chain King Kullen, housewares distributor Lifetime Brands, keyboard manufacturer Korg USA, and D’Addario, the world’s largest manufacturer of guitar strings, as well as country music promoter, Bandtwango.

There are different levels of ticket prices, with VIP tickets including a cocktail reception before the concert and a sponsor meet-and-greet backstage with Rascal Flatts before they take the stage.

“Then it’s time for the show,” Pachter said in anticipation of the event.

Founded in 1980 by the late singer, Grammy Award-winner and social activist Harry Chapin, Long Island Cares continues its crusade to provide food and support services for those in need on Long Island through food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and other community-based programs.

“People can donate food to Long Island Cares any day of the week,” Pachter said, at drop-off points listed on their website, as well as their main building in Hauppauge and three satellite locations in Freeport, Lindenhurst, and Huntington Station.

Long Island Cares also hosts virtual food drives on their website.

“So people can click on the virtual food drive link, purchase food actually from Amazon, and then that’s donated to Long Island Cares,” he added.

In terms of their forthcoming goals, Pachter said, “We’re looking right now at ways to expand our children’s nutrition services…  Last year, we launched two food trucks that go out in the community when schools are closed to provide a healthy grab-and-go breakfast for children in need.”

Long Island Cares is also looking to enhance their programs for veterans that provide local deliveries of food and help with job placement.

While they work towards making all of their services the best they possibly can be, Pachter said that the most important thing that everyone can do is to notice people who may need help.

“If there is someone that you know – a family or an individual – who might be struggling due to either being unemployed, temporarily out of work or homebound… and may need our help, people should just call us,” Pachter said.

For those who want more information about how to contribute to Long Island Cares or locate a local pantry, call 631-582-3663 or go to www.licares.org.

Tickets to the concert can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

You can also visit the Theatre at Westbury box office or go to www.thetheatreatwestbury.com for further concert details.

Share this Article