March 29, 2024

Seekonk’s 1st Annual Family Fun Day a Huge Success

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Seekonk’s 1st Annual Family Fun Day was held on Saturday, August 12 behind the Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School. Over 350 people attended the free event, which was organized by the Salvation Army with a vision to bring together various community groups and offer a free, family friendly celebration. As a highlight of the event, Herb Chambers Honda in Seekonk provided free back-to-school backpacks to the first 200 kids (grade K-5) filled with school supplies. In addition there were games, activities, and food – all at no cost to the families. The only request was a donation of non-perishable food products to the Doorways food pantry.

Multiple town departments, community groups and area churches contributed to make a memorable event. The Seekonk Fire Department brought a fire truck and a mobile “fire safety” trailer, while the Firefighters Association manned a dunk tank and ran kiddie-firefighter activity game. The Seekonk Police brought several state-of-the-art police cruisers for touch-a-truck exploration by the kids. Several bounce houses and inflatable activity stations were provided courtesy of the His Providence Church and the Seekonk Lions. Home Depot set up a craft area for “build-it-yourself” projects like birdhouses and wooden sailboats. Friends of Friends, The Kiwanis, The Village Green, Children’s Workshop, Seekonk Human Services and Seekonk Parks and Recreation all sponsored crafts activities. The Memorial Baptist Church provided carnival games and clowns for face painting and balloon animals.

Doorways food pantry donated hot dogs and rolls, cooked by more volunteers from The Memorial Baptist Church. Stop and Shop donated bottled water for the event, and Chick-Fil-A donated hundreds of cookies. Chick-Fil-A and Seekonk Grand Prix also donated gift cards to be included in the backpacks.

Tim Veglas of the Salvation Army has organized similar events in other towns in southeast MA and wanted to bring a family celebration to Seekonk. He got help early on from Selectwoman Michelle Hines in making contacts and spreading the word, and he was able to line up more than a dozen community organizations to sponsor the event. In the end, Family Fun Day was a big success; even the weather cooperated. “All glory and praise to God” said Tim.

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