Smile As You Sip Worthy Wine

You can smile in Calvert County while sipping a worthy glass of wine by the bay when you support your local Boys and Girls Club as well as the SMILE Food Pantry.

 This Saturday (Sept. 13 at 5 p.m.), The Bayside Boys and Girls Club in North Beach will have the Chesapeake Bay sparkling with their third annual event.

 ”Sparkle by the Bay” is a fundraiser that entertains guests with a bit of jazz while they enjoy a taste of Maryland red and white wines. This event combines local art, soft jazz, wine tasting, and a buffet on the North Beach Boardwalk, overing looks the bay.

The work of local artisans featuring jewelry, wine glasses and oil painting will be available to purchase. There will also be a silent auction for many and varied items.

Tickets are $50, a $25 savings over last year’s event. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the function. All the funds raised will benefit the local children of Calvert County’s Bayside Boys and Girls Club.

Participating wineries include: Boordy’s Winery, Prince Frederick winery, Running Hare Winery, Solomons Islands Winery, and Woodhall Wine Cellars of Parkton.  Bay Wine and Spirits of North Beach will once again be setting up and keeping everything running smoothly.

To purchase advance tickets call 410-326-2200, or via the website: www.bbgcsm.net.

SMILE and the whole world smiles with you. Well, maybe not the whole world, but at least 900 families as well as the volunteers of the SMILE Ecumenical Ministries food program.

Currently, the cupboards for the pantry are a little bare and your help is needed to fill them. The Maryland Food Bank generally donates large quantities of food, but unfortunately, the food bank has not been able to send food for several weeks.

The pantry stocks all essential kitchen items and even stocks back-to-school items for school age children. A back-to-school packet contains loose-leaf paper, two folders, pens and pencils. The pantry shelves also include personal toiletry items.

Along with the staples they receive, customers are encouraged to let the staff know if there is a particular item they are in need of or running out of.

The pantry works to keep its shelves stocked through proceeds from their thrift shop sales. The community participates with food drives by local churches, schools, businesses and individual donations. Food Lion donates perishable foods and the Feed the Hungry Program supplies venison donated by local hunters. Food products, personal hygiene and monetary donations are always welcomed.

To contact SMILE for more information or to donate just call 410-326-0009. You may also visit their website: http://www.smileinc.org