NOVEMBER 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 25
ROCK CAN ROLL
ROCKIN’ GOOD CAUSE
A dinner dance for Dads, Grandpas
and the little girl in their life.
The 23rd
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Chateau Briand, Carle Place
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
An enchanted gala for girls aged 4-12 and their Dad or Grandpa.
Guests enjoy an elegant evening of dinner and dancing,
a performance of the Nutcracker performed by
Leggz Ltd. Dance Studio of Rockville Centre, a Magic show, a corsage
and gift for each young lady and other fun surprises
Sponsored b y:
To purchase tickets, please
call 516-378-2000 x 651
Cost is $175 per couple ($100 each adult/$75 each child)
All Proceeds Benefit the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County
www.cpnassau.org
By JENNA BAGCAL
Twenty years ago last month,
Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras,
inspiring Aimée Holtzman of
Manhasset to ship donations to
survivors of the devastating storm
— an initiative that led to Rock CAN
Roll.
The Long Island-based nonprofit
hunger relief organization
encourages music fans to bring
nonperishable food items to local
concert venues and other events. It
then donates the food to emergency
food pantries and food banks.
But every year they see the same
thing: Donations are up during
the holidays and plummet come
January.
“From Thanksgiving through
Christmas, the world wakes up
and the shelves of emergency food
pantries are full,” Holtzman says.
“Sadly, after the first of the year,
the world goes back to sleep and
food donations dwindle.”
Her group is one of many local
hunger relief nonprofits that see
the same annual trend. She aims
to buck the norm by making food
donations a routine part of the
concertgoing experience.
Growing up, Holtzman loved music
and attending concerts. She was also
civic minded, becoming involved with
several community service ventures.
After becoming involved with the
Island Harvest organization in the
early 1990s, she realized that LI is not
immune to food insecurity.
Holtzman says that Rock CAN
Roll receives donations from
concert goers who bring nonperishable
food items and other provisions
to concerts in lieu of paying
for a ticket for certain performances.
The donations then go straight
from the concert to pantries located
five to 10 miles from the venues.
Since its inception, Holtzman has
implemented her donation system
at hundreds of concerts at venues
such as Northwell Health at Jones
Beach Theater, The Paramount,
and the Patchogue Theatre for the
Performing Arts.
The organization also partners
with local schools to teach children
how to get the most value out of
their money while shopping for
nutritious foods. After the kids
are finished shopping, they take
the items they bought to local food
pantries.
She says Rock CAN Roll allows
people to “help out while you rock
out.”
“Help out while
you rock out.”
PRESS BUSINESS
Long Island Press parent company
Schneps Communications donated
$3,400 in raffle proceeds to Rock
CAN Roll when Holtzman was
named a Power Woman of Long
Island.
/www.cpnassau.org
